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CHOICE    COOKERY 


BY 


•     CATHERINE    OWEN 

AUTHOR  OP 
'  TEN  DOLLARS  ENOUGH  "  "GENTLE  BREAD  WINNERS  "  ETC. 


NEW    YORK 

HARPER   &  BROTHERS,  FRANKLIN  SQUARE 

1889 


Copyright,  1889,  by  Harper  k  Brothers. 


All  rights  reserved. 


PREFACE. 


Choice  cookery  is  not  intended  for  house- 
holds that  have  to  study  economy,  except 
where  economy  is  a  relative  term ;  where, 
perhaps,  the  housekeeper  could  easily  spend 
a  dollar  for  the  materials  of  a  luxury,  but 
could  not  spare  the  four  or  five  dollars  a 
caterer  would  charge. 

Many  families  enjoy  giving  little  dinners, 
or  otherwise  exercising  hospitality,  but  are 
debarred  from  doing  so  by  the  fact  that 
anything  beyond  the  ordinary  daily  fare 
has  to  be  ordered  in,  or  an  expensive  extra 
cook  engaged.  And  although  we  may  re- 
gret that  hospitality  should  ever  be  depend- 
ent on  fine  cooking,  we  have  to  take  things 


iv 


PREFACE. 


as  they  are.  It  is  not  every  hostess  who 
loves  simplicity  that  dares  to  practise  it. 

It  was  to  help  the  women  w^ho  wish  to 
know  at  a  glance  what  is  newest  and  best 
in  modern  cookery  that  these  chapters  were 
written  for  Ilarjper's  Bazar,  and  are  now 
gathered  into  a  book.  It  is  hoped  by  the 
writer  that  the  copious  details  and  simplifi- 
cation of  different  matters  will  enable  those 
who  have  already  achieved  success  in  the 
plainer  branches  of  cookery  to  venture  fur- 
ther, and  realize  for  themselves  that  it  is 
only  the  "first  step  that  costs." 

I  have  to  acknowledge  my  indebtedness 
to  Mrs.  Clarke,  of  the  South  Kensington 
School  of  Cookery,  to  Madame  de  Salis,  and 
those  epicurean  friends  who  have  cast  their 
nets  in  foreign  waters,  and  sent  me  the  dain- 
tiest fish  they  caught. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  Introduction 1 

II.  Sauces 11 

III.  White  Sauces 23 

IV.  Brown  Sauces 33 

V.  Cold  Sauces 42 

VI.  Soups 51 

VII.  Fish  Entrees 01 

VIII.  Various  Ways  of  Serving  Oysters    .    .    71 

IX.  Various  Culinary  Matters 79 

X.  Entrees 86 

XL  Entrees  op  Mutton  Cutlets  or  Chops   .    98 
XII.  On   the   Manner    of   Preparing    Cro- 
quettes,  Cutlets,   Kromeskies,  Ris- 
soles, and  Cigarettes 107 

XIII.  Patties 116 

XIV.  Entrees 125 

XV.  ENTUEES—coiiiiiiued 134 

XVI.  EwniEES—contmued 143 

XVII.  Cold  Entrees,  or  Chaudfroids      .    .    .  153 


Vi  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XVIII.  Cold  Entrees 162 

XIX.  Galantines,  Ballotines,  etc.      .     .     .172 
XX.  How  TO  "Fillet."— Cold  Game  Pies   .  181 

XXI.  Garnishes 191 

XXII.  Various  Ways  of  Serving  Vegetables  199 

XXIII.  Jellies  208 

XXIV.  Jellies — continued 217 

XXV.  Cold  Sweets.— Creams 226 

XXVI.  Creams  and  Frozen  Puddings    .     .     .  235 

XXVII.  Iced  Puddings 243 

XXVIII.  Ice  creams  and  Water  ices    ....  252 

XXIX.  Miscellaneous  Sweets 262 

XXX.  Miscellaneous  ^vf^EKi^— continued  .     .  271 
XXXI.  Miscellaneous  ^vfE.KT&— continued  .    .  281 

XXXII.  Fine  Cakes  and  Sauces 291 

XXXIII.  Salads  and  Cheese  Dishes   ....  300 
Index 309 


CHOICE   COOKERY. 


I. 

INTRODUCTION. 

By  choice  cookery  is  meant  exactly  what 
the  words  imply.  There  will  be  no  attempt 
to  teach  family  or  inexpensive  cooking,  those 
branches  of  domestic  economy  having  been 
so  excellently  treated  by  capable  hands  al- 
ready. It  may  be  said  en  jpassant^  however, 
that  even  choice  cooking  is  not  necessarily 
expensive.  Many  dishes  cost  little  for  the 
materials,  but  owe  their  daintiness  and  ex- 
pensiveness  to  the  care  bestowed  in  cook- 
ing or  to  a  fine  sauce.  For  instance :  cod, 
one  of  the  cheapest  of  fish,  and  considered 
coarse  food  as  usually  served,  becomes  an 
1 


2  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

epicurean  dish  when  served  with  a  fine  Hol- 
landaise  or  oyster  sauce,  and  it  will  not  even 
then  be  more  expensive  than  any  average- 
priced  boiling  fish.  Flounder  served  as  sole 
Normande  conjures  up  memories  of  the  fa- 
mous Philippe,  whose  fortune  it  made,  or  it 
may  be  of  luxurious  little  dinners  at  other 
famous  restaurants,  and  is  suggestive,  in  fact, 
of  anything  but  economy.  Yet  it  is  really 
an  inexpensive  dish. 

But  Avhile  it  is  quite  true  that  fine  cook- 
ing does  not  always  mean  expensive  cooking, 
it  is  also  true  that  it  requires  the  best  mate- 
rials and  sufficient  of  them ;  that  if  satis- 
factory results  are  to  be  obtained  there  must 
be  no  attempt  to  stint  or  change  proportions 
from  a  false  idea  of  economy,  although  it 
must  never  be  forgotten  that  all  good  cook- 
ing is  economical,  by  which  I  mean  that 
there  is  no  waste,  every  cent's  worth  of  ma- 
terial being  made  to  do  its  full  duty. 

In  this  book  the  object  will  be  to  give 
the  newest  and  most  recherche  dishes,  and 


INTRODUCTION.-  3 

these  will  naturally  be  expensive.  Yet  for 
those  families  who  depend  upon  the  caterer 
for  everything  in  the  way  of  fine  soups, 
entrees,  or  sauces,  because  the  cook  can 
achieve  only  the  plain  part  of  the  dinner,  it 
will  be  found  a  great  economy  as  well  as 
convenience  to  be  independent  of  this  out- 
side resource,  which  is  always  very  costly, 
and  invariably  destroys  the  individuality  of 
a  repast.  Many  new  recipes  will  be  given, 
and  others  little  known  in  private  kitchens, 
or  thought  to  be  quite  beyond  the  attainment 
of  any  but  an  accomplished  chef.  But  if  strict 
attention  be  paid  to  small  matters,  and  the  di- 
rections faithfully  carried  out,  there  will  be  no 
difficulty  in  a  lady  becoming  her  own  chef. 

I  propose  to  begin  with  sauces.  This  is 
reversing  the  usual  mode,  and  yet  I  think 
the  reader  will  not  regret  the  innovation. 
The  cooking  to  be  taught  in  these  pages, 
being  emphatically  what  is  popularly  known 
as  "  Delmonico  cooking,"  very  much  depends 
on  the  excellence  of  the  sauces  served  with 


4  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

each  dish ;  and  as  it  is  no  time  to  learn  to 
make  a  fine  sauce  when  the  dish  it  is  served 
with  is  being  cooked,  I  think  the  better  plan 
is  to  give  the  sauces  first.  They  will  be  fre- 
quently referred  to,  but  no  repetition  of  the 
recipes  will  be  given. 

Before  proceeding  further  I  will  say  a  few 
words  that  may  save  time  and  patience  here- 
after. Of  course  it  is  not  expected  that  any 
one  will  hope  to  succeed  with  elaborate  dish- 
es without  understanding  the  principles  of 
simple  cooking,  but  many  do  this  without 
perceiving  that  in  that  knowledge  they  hold 
the  key  to  very  much  more,  and  I  Avould  ask 
readers  who  are  in  earnest  about  the  matter 
to  acquire  the  habit  of  putting  two  and  two 
together  in  cooking  as  they  would  in  fancy- 
work.  If  you  know  half  a  dozen  embroidery 
or  lace  stitches,  you  see  at  once  that  you  can 
produce  the  elaborate  combinations  in  which 
those  stitches  are  used.  So  it  is  with  cooking. 
The  most  elaborate  dish  will  only  be  a  com- 
bination of  two  or  three  simpler  processes 


INTRODUCTION.  5 

of  cooking,  jperfectly  done — that  is  a  sine 
qua  nor. — something  fried,  roasted,  boiled,  or 
braised  to  perfection,  and  a  sauce  that  no 
chef  could  improve  upon ;  but  to  recognize 
that  this  is  so — that  when  you  can  make  a 
Chateaubriand  sauce  or  a  Bearnaise  perfect- 
ly, and  can  saute  a  steak,  the  famed  filets  a 
la  Chateaubriand  or  a  la  Bearnaise  are  no 
longer  a  mystery,  or  that  one  who  can  make 
clear  meat  jelly  and  roast  a  chicken  has 
learned  all  but  the  arrangement  of  a  chaud- 
froid  in  aspic — will  make  apparently  com- 
plicated dishes  simple. 

I  go  into  these  matters  because  I  hope  to 
cause  my  readers  to  thi7ik  about  the  recipes 
they  will  use,  when  they  will  see  for  them- 
selves that  even  the  finest  cooking  is  not  in- 
tricate nor  in  any  way  diificult.  It  requires 
intelligence  and  great  care  about  details :  no 
half -attention  will  do,  any  more  than  it  will 
in  any  other  thing  we  attempt,  whether  it  be 
high  art  or  domestic  art. 

In  making  sauces  or  reading  recipes  for 


6  CHOICE    COOKERY. 

them  it  simplifies  matters  to  remember  that 
in  savory  sauces — by  which  I  mean  those 
served  with  meats  or  fish — ^there  are  what 
the  French  call  the  two  "mother  sauces," 
white  sauce  and  brown  ;  all  others,  with  few 
exceptions,  are  modifications  of  these  two; 
that  is  to  say,  bechamel  is  only  white  sauce 
made  with  white  stock  and  cream  instead  of 
milk ;  allemande  is  the  same,  only  yolks  of 
eggs  replace  the  cream ;  and  so  on  through 
the  long  list  of  sauces  belonging  to  the  blond 
variety.  The  simple  brown  sauce  becomes 
the  famous  Chateaubriand  by  the  addition  of 
glaze  (or  very  strong  gravy)  and  a  glass  of 
white  wine,  and  is  the  "  mother "  of  many 
others  equally  fine.  This  being  so,  it  will 
be  seen  that  it  is  of  the  first  importance  that 
the  making  of  these  two  "mother  sauces" 
should  be  thoroughly  understood,  in  order 
for  the  finer  ones  based  on  them  to  be  suc- 
cessfully accomplished. 

It  will  clear  the  way  for  easy  work  if  I 
here  give  the  directions  for  making  one  of 


INTRODUCTION.  7 

the  most  necessary  and  convenient  aids  to 
fine  cooking — the  above-named  glaze.  To 
have  it  in  the  house  saves  much  worry  and 
work.  If  the  soup  is  not  just  so  strong  as 
we  wish,  the  addition  of  a  small  piece  of 
glaze  will  make  it  excellent ;  or  we  wish  to 
make  brown  sauce,  and  have  no  stock,  the 
glaze  comes  to  our  aid.  To  have  stock  in 
the  house  at  all  times  is  by  no  means  easy  in 
a  small  family,  especially  in  summer ;  with 
glaze,  which  is  solidified  stock,  one  is  inde- 
pendent of  it. 

Six  pounds  of  lean  beef  from  the  leg,  or  a 
knuckle  of  veal  and  beef  to  make  six  pounds. 
Cut  this  in  pieces  two  inches  square  or  less ; 
do  the  same  with  half  a  pound  of  lean  ham, 
free  from  rind  or  smoky  outside,  and  which 
has  been  scalded  HYe  minutes.  Put  the  meat 
into  a  two-gallon  pot  with  three  medium- 
sized  onions  with  two  cloves  in  each,  a  turnip, 
a  carrot,  and  a  small  head  of  celery.  Pour 
over  them  five  quarts  of  cold  water;  let  it 
come  slowly  to  the  boiling-point,  when  skim. 


8  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

and  draw  to  a  spot  where  it  will  gently  sim- 
mer for  six  hours.  This  stock  as  it  is  will 
be  an  excellent  foundation  for  all  kinds  of 
clear  soups  or  gravies,  with  the  addition  of 
salt,  which  must  on  no  account  be  added  for 
glaze. 

To  reduce  this  stock  to  glaze,  do  as  follows  : 
Strain  the  stock  first  through  a  colander,  and 
return  meat  and  vegetables  to  the  pot ;  put 
to  them  four  quarts  of  hot  water,  and  let  it 
boil  four  hours  longer.  The  importance  of 
this  second  boiling,  which  may  at  first  sight 
appear  useless  economy,  will  be  seen  if  you 
let  the  two  stocks  get  cold;  the  first  will 
be  of  dehghtful  flavor,  but  probably  quite 
liquid ;  the  last  will  be  flavorless,  but  if  the 
boiling  process  has  been  slow  enough  it  will 
be  a  jelly,  the  second  boiling  having  been 
necessary  to  extract  the  gelatine  from  the 
bones,  which  is  indispensable  for  the  forma- 
tion of  glaze. 

Strain  both  these  stocks  through  a  scalded 
cloth.     (If  they  have  been  allowed  to  get 


INTRODUCTION.  9 

cool,  heat  them  in  order  to  strain.)  Put 
both  stocks  together  into  one  large  pot,  and 
let  it  boil  as  fast  as  possible  with  the  cover 
off,  leaving  a  large  spoon  in  it  to  prevent  it 
boiling  over,  also  to  stir  occasionally ;  when 
it  is  reduced  to  three  pints  put  it  into  a  small 
saucepan,  and  let  it  boil  more  slowly.  Stir 
frequently  with  a  wooden  spoon  until  it  be- 
gins to  thicken  and  has  a  fine  yellowish- 
brown  color,  which  will  be  when  it  is  re- 
duced to  a  quart  or  rather  less.  At  this 
point  watch  closely,  as  it  quickly  burns. 
When  there  is  only  a  pint  and  a  half  it  will 
be  fit  to  pour  into  small  cups  or  jars,  or  it 
may  be  dried  in  thin  sheets,  if  required  for 
soup  in  travelling ;  to  do  this,  pour  it  into 
oiled  tin  pans  an  inch  deep.  When  cold  it 
can  be  cut  out  in  two-inch  squares  and  dried 
by  exposure  to  the  air  till  it  is  like  glue. 
One  square  makes  a  cup  of  strong  soup  if 
dissolved  in  boiling  water  and  seasoned.  If, 
however,  it  is  put  into  pots,  it  must  not  he 
covered  until  all  moisture  has  evaporated 


10  CHOICE    COOKERY. 

and  the  glaze  shrinks  from  the  sides  of  the 
jar.     This  may  take  a  month. 

The  most  convenient  of  all  ways  for  pre- 
serving glaze  is  to  get  from  your  butcher  a 
yard  of  sausage-skin.  Tie  one  end  very  tight- 
ly, then  pour  in  the  glaze  while  warm  by 
means  of  a  large  funnel.  Tie  the  skin  just 
as  you  would  sausage  as  close  to  the  glaze 
as  possible,  cut  off  any  remaining  skin,  and 
hang  the  one  containing  the  glaze  up  to  dry. 
When  needed,  a  slice  is  cut  from  this. 

Of  course  any  strong  meat  and  bone-soup 
can  be  boiled  down  in  the  same  way,  and 
where  there  is  meat  on  hand  in  danger  of 
spoiling  from  sudden  change  of  weather  it 
can  be  turned  into  glaze,  and  kept  indefi- 
nitely. I  have  found  glaze  five  years  old  as 
good  as  the  first  week. 


11. 

SAUCES. 

In  addition  to  the  glaze,  for  which  the  rec- 
ipe is  given  in  the  preceding  pages,  and  which 
will  make  you  independent  of  the  stock  pot, 
there  are  several  other  articles  involving  very 
small  outlay  which  it  is  absolutely  necessary 
to  have  at  hand  in  order  to  foUoAV  directions 
without  trouble  and  worry. 

It  is  often  said  by  thoughtless  housekeep- 
ers that  cooking-books  are  of  little  use,  be- 
cause the  recipes  always  call  for  something 
that  is  not  in  the  house.  This  is  a  habit  of 
mind  only,  for  the  very  women  who  say  it 
keep  their  work-baskets  supplied  with  every- 
thing necessary  for  work,  not  only  the  every- 
day white  and  black  spools,  nor  would  they 
hesitate  to  undertake  a  piece  of  embroidery 
which  required  quite  unusual  combinations 


12  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

of  color  or  material,  and  to  be  obtained  only 
with  difficulty.  Grant  a  little  of  this  earnest 
painstaking  to  the  requirements  of  the  cook- 
ing-book at  the  start,  see  that  the  herb-bot- 
tles are  supplied  with  dried  herbs  (when  fresh 
are  not  attainable),  the  spice-boxes  contain 
the  small  quantity  of  fresh  line  spices  that 
is  sufficient  for  a  good  deal  of  cooking,  and 
red  and  w^hite  w4ne  and  brandy  are  in  the 
house,  all  of  w^hich  should  be  kept  in  the 
store-closet  for  cooking  alone,  and  not  liable 
to  be  "  out "  when  wanted. 

The  so-called  ^'French  herbs"  are  rarely 
found  in  American  gardens,  yet  might  be 
very  readily  sown  in  early  spring,  as  parsley 
is ;  but  although  seldom  home-grown,  they 
are  to  be  found  at  the  French  market-gar- 
dener's in  Washington  Market,  and  can  be 
bought  fresh  and  dried  in  paper  bags  quickly 
for  use.  I  say  dried  quickly,  because  unless 
the  sun  is  very  hot  much  of  the  aroma  will 
pass  into  the  air ;  it  is,  therefore,  better  to 
dry  them  in  a  cool  oven.     When  they  are 


SAUCES.  13 

dry  enough  to  crumble  to  dust,  free  the 
herbs  from  stems  and  twigs,  and  put  them 
separately  into  tin  boxes  or  wide-mouthed 
bottles,  each  labelled.  The  expense  of  herbs 
and  spices  is  very  slight,  and  they  are  cer- 
tainly not  neglected  among  kitchen  stores 
on  that  account;  it  is  merely  the  want  of 
habit  in  ordering  them.  In  addition  to  these 
articles  a  bottle  of  capers,  one  of  olives,  one 
of  anchovies,  canned  mushrooms,  and  canned 
truffles  should  be  on  hand — the  latter  should 
be  bought  in  the  smallest-sized  cans,  as  they 
are  very  costly,  but  a  little  goes  a  long  way. 
Families  living  in  the  country  often  have  for 
a  season  more  mushrooms  than  they  can  use. 
In  the  few  days  in  which  they  are  plentiful 
opportunity  should  be  taken  to  peel  and  dry 
as  many  as  possible;  when  powdered  they 
give  a  finer  flavor  than  the  canned  mush- 
room, and  may  be  used  to  great  advantage 
in  dark  sauces. 

The  French  chef  classes  all  white  sauces  as 
hlonde,  and  calls  the  jar  of  very  smooth  thick 


14  CHOICE    COOKERY. 

white  sauce,  wliich  he  keeps  ready  made  as  a 
foundation  for  most  of  the  family  of  light 
sauces,  his  Monde  or  veloute.  This  expla- 
nation is  given  because  directions  are  often 
found  in  French  recipes  to  "  take  half  a  pint 
of  veloute"  or  of  "blonde."  The  mistress 
of  a  private  house  may  not  find  it  wise  or 
necessary  to  keep  a  supply  of  sauce  ready 
made,  although  to  one  who  has  to  supply  a 
variety  of  sauces  each  day  it  is  indispensable ; 
but  the  day  before  a  dinner-party  sauces  can 
be  so  made,  and  covered  with  a  film  of  but- 
ter to  prevent  skin  forming,  and  can  then 
be  heated  in  a  bain-marie  when  required  for 
use.  Almost  every  chef  has  his  favorite 
recipe  for  veloute,  or  white  sauce,  but  they 
differ  only  in  points  that  are  little  essential ; 
the  foundation  is  alwaj^s  the  same,  as  fol- 
lows :  Put  two  ounces  of  butter  in  a  thick 
saucepan  with  two  ounces  of  flour  (table- 
spoonfuls  approximate  the  ounce,  but  weight 
only  should  be  reUed  on  for  fine  cooking). 
Let  these  melt  over  the  fire,  stirring  them 


SAUCES.  15 

SO  that  the  butter  and  flour  become  well 
mixed ;  then  let  them  bubble  together,  stir- 
ring enough  to  prevent  the  flour  sticking  or 
changing  color.  Three  minutes  will  suffice 
to  cook  the  flour;  add  a  pint  of  clear  hot 
white  stock  that  has  been  strained  through 
a  cloth.  This  stock  must  not  be  poured 
slowly,  or  the  sauce  will  thicken  too  fast. 
Hold  the  pint-measure  or  other  vessel  in 
which  the  stock  may  be  in  the  left  hand, 
stir  the  butter  and  flour  quickly  with  the 
right,  then  turn  the  broth  to  it  all  at  once. 
Let  this  simmer  an  hour  until  very  thick, 
then  add  a  gill  of  very  rich  cream,  stir,  and 
the  sauce  is  ready. 

This  is  undoubtedly  the  best  way  to  make 
white  sauce,  which  is  to  serve  as  a  founda- 
tion for  others,  or  is  intended  to  mask  meat 
or  poultry,  the  long,  slow  simmering  produc- 
ing an  extreme  blandness  not  to  be  attained 
by  a  quicker  method.  But  circumstances 
sometimes  prevent  the  previous  preparation 
of  the  sauce,  in  which  case  it  may  be  made 


16  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

exactly  in  the  same  way,  only  instead  of  a 
pint  of  broth,  but  three  gills  should  be  poured 
on  the  butter  and  flour,  and  a  gill  of  thick 
cream  stirred  in  when  it  boils ;  the  sauce  is 
finished  when  it  again  reaches  the  boiling- 
point. 

This  is  the  foundation  for  the  follow- 
ing "grand"  sauces:  Poulette,  AUemande, 
TJxelles,  Soubise,  Ste.  Menehould,  Perigueux, 
Supreme,  besides  all  the  simpler  ones,  which 
take  their  name  from  the  chief  ingredient, 
such  as  caper,  cauliflower,  celery,  lobster,  etc., 
etc. 

For  sauces  that  have  vinegar  or  lemon 
juice,  it  is  better  that  the  veloute,  or  white 
sauce,  should  have  no  cream  until  the  last 
minute,  or  it  may  curdle.  My  object  in  giv- 
ing the  recipes  for  sauces  in  the  way  I  intend 
— that  is  to  say,  by  building  on  to,  or  omit- 
ting from,  one  foundation  sauce — is  to  dispel 
some  of  the  confusion  which  exists  in  the 
minds  of  many  people  about  the  exact  differ- 
ence between  several  sauces  differing  from 


SAUCES.  17 

each  other  very  slightly — a  confusion  which 
is  only  added  to  by  reading  over  the  fully 
written  recipes  for  each,  as  many  a  painstak- 
ing, intelligent  woman's  headache  will  tes- 
tify. As  we  progress,  the  exact  difference 
between  each  will  be  explained. 

Bechamel.  —  This  sauce  differs  from  the 
white  sauce  only  in  the  fact  that  the  white 
stock  used  for  the  latter  need  not  be  very 
strong;  for  bechamel  it  should  either  be 
very  strong  or  boiled  down  rapidly  to  make 
it  so,  and  there  should  always  be  half  cream 
instead  of  one  third,  as  in  white  sauce,  and 
when  required  for  fish  the  stock  may  be  of 
fish.  White  sauce  is  frequently  (perhaps 
most  frequently)  made  with  milk,  or  milk 
and  cream,  in  place  of  stock,  in  this  country, 
and  answers  admirably  for  many  purposes, 
but  would  not  be  what  is  required  for  the 
kind  of  cooking  intended  in  these  pages. 

Most  readers  know  how  "to  stir,"  and  it 
may  seem  quite  an  unnecessary  matter  to  go 
into.  Yet  if  only  one  reader  does  not  know 
2 


18  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

that  to  stir  means  a  regular,  even,  slow  cir- 
cling of  the  spoon,  not  only  in  the  centre  of 
the  saucepan,  but  round  the  sides,  she  will 
fail  in  making  good  sauce.  Stir,  then,  slow- 
ly, gently,  going  over  every  part  of  the  bot- 
tom of  the  saucepan  till  the  sides  are  reached, 
pass  the  spoon  gently  round  them,  thence 
back  to  the  middle,  and  so  on.  In  this  way 
the  sauce  gets  no  chance  to  stick  to  any  par- 
ticular spot.  A  small  copper  saucepan  is  the 
best  possible  utensil  for  making  sauce,  as  it 
does  not  burn. 

The. rule  for  seasoning  is  a  level  salt-spoon- 
ful of  salt  to  half  a  pint ;  pepper,  one  fourth 
the  quantity.  This,  however,  is  only  when 
the  stock  is  unseasoned;  if  seasoned,  only 
salt  enough  must  be  added  to  season  the 
cream  and  eggs. 

Allemande.  —  Take  half  a  pint  of  white 
sauce,  add  to  it  half  the  liquor  from  a  can  of 
mushrooms,  and  half  a  dozen  of  the  mush- 
rooms chopped  fine.  Let  them  simmer — 
stirring  all  the  time — five  minutes,  then  re- 


SAUCES.  19 

move  from  the  fire.  Set  the  saucepan  into 
another  containing  boiling  water.  Have  the 
yolks  of  three  eggs  ready  beaten,  put  a  little 
of  the  sauce  to  them,  beat  together,  then  add 
the  eggs  gradually  to  the  rest  of  the  sauce, 
which  must  be  returned  to  the  fire,  and 
stirred  until  the  eggs  leg  in  to  thicken ;  then 
it  must  be  quickly  removed,  and  stirred  until 
slightly  cool.  Season  with  a  saltspoonful  of 
salt,  a  fourth  of  one  of  pepper,  and  strain 
carefully. 

It  must  never  be  forgotten  that  in  thicken- 
ing with  eggs  the  sauce  or  soup  must  not  hoil 
after  they  are  added,  or  they  will  curdle. 
Yet  if  they  do  not  reach  the  boiling-point 
they  will  not  thicken.  Only  keen  attention 
to  the  first  sign  of  thickening  will  insure 
success.  If  a  failure  is  made  the  first  time, 
look  upon  it  as  the  first  step  to  success,  for 
you  have  learned  what  the  danger  loohs  like. 
Make  the  sauce  again  as  soon  as  possible,  so 
that  your  eye  may  not  lose  the  impression. 
It  is  worth  considerable  effort  (and  it  is 


20  CHOICE   COOKEEY. 

really  only  a  matter  of  a  few  minutes  each 
time)  to  make  Allemande  sauce  well,  for  in 
doing  so  you  also  learn  to  make  Ilollandaise 
and  several  choice  sauces,  as  will  be  seen  by 
those  that  foUoAv. 

Poulette  Sauce.  —  Make  Allemande  sauce 
as  directed  in  the  foregoing  recipe;  add  a 
wineglass  of  white  wine.  If  sweetbreads  or 
chicken  are  to  be  cooked  in  the  sauce,  as  is 
not  unusual,  of  course  the  eggs  must  be  left 
out  until  the  last  thing.  Anything  served 
with  this  sauce  is  called  a  la  poulette. 

Sauce  a  la  d'^Uxelles. — Chop  fine  a  dozen 
small  button  mushrooms,  or  half  a  dozen 
large  ones;  parsley  and  chives,  of  each 
enough  to  make  a  teaspoonful  when  finely 
chopped ;  of  lean  ham  a  tablespoonf ul,  and 
one  small  shallot.  Fry  gently  in  a  table- 
spoonful  of  butter,  but  do  not  let  them 
brown.  Stir  these  into  half  a  pint  of  white 
sauce,  simmer  three  or  four  minutes,  then 
add  two  yolks  of  eggs,  as  for  Allemande, 
and  the  last  thing  a  half  -  teaspoonful  of 


SAUCES.  21 

lemon-juice,  and  just  enough  glaze  to  make 
the  sauce  the  shade  of  a  pale  Suede  glove. 
This  sauce  is  used  cold  to  coat  meats  that 
have  to  be  cooked  in  paper,  and  many  that 
are  afterwards  to  be  fried  in  bread-crumbs,  for 
which  directions  will  be  given  in  the  entrees. 
Dishes  termed  dla  cV  Uxelles  are  among  the 
most  .recKerche  productions  of  the  French 
kitchen. 

Villeroi  Sauce. — Make  half  a  pint  of  white 
sauce,  which,  as  in  the  case  of  bechamel,  may 
be  made  of  fish  stock  when  for  use  with  fish ; 
chop  half  a  dozen  mushrooms,  and  add  a  gill 
of  the  liquor  to  the  sauce,  half  a  saltspoonful 
of  powdered  thyme  (or  one  sprig,  if  fresh), 
two  sprigs  of  parsley,  and  half  a  bay-leaf; 
simmer  for  fifteen  minutes ;  strain  through 
a  scalded  cloth ;  replace  on  the  fire ;  add  a 
piece  of  glaze  as  large  as  a  hazel-nut,  or  a 
tablespoonful  of  strong  meat -gravy,  just 
enough  to  give  it  the  shade  oi  palest  cafe  au 
lait ;  thicken  with  two  yolks  of  eggs,  as  for 
Allemande  sauce.     All  articles  served  with 


22  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

this  sauce  are  termed  a  la  Yilleroi.  It  dif- 
fers, from  d'Uxelles  only  in  having  no  ham, 
nor  acidity  from  the  lemon ;  also,  all  flavor 
of  onion  is  omitted. 


III. 

WHITE  SAUCES. 

Supreme  sauce  gives  its  name  to  several 
dishes  dear  to  epicures — supreme  de  volaille, 
supreme  de  Toulouse,  etc.  It  is  made  with 
a  pint  of  thick  white  sauce,  a  pint  of  very 
strong  chicken  broth,  four  stalks  of  parsley, 
and  six  white  pepper-corns,  boiled  down  to 
half  a  pint.  Stir  sauce  and  broth  together 
until  thoroughly  blended,  then  boil  rapidly 
down  till  thick  again,  taking  great  care  it 
does  not  burn.  Add  one  gill  of  double 
cream,  and  half  a  saltspoonful  of  salt  (if  the 
stock  was  already  seasoned).  Boil  up  till 
thick  enough  to  mash  the  hack  of  a  spoon, 
strain,  and  the  last  thing  add  a  small  tea- 
spoonful  of  lemon  juice. 

When  the  white  sauce  has  to  be  made  ex- 
pressly for  the  supreme,  it  is  easier  to  use 


24  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

strong  chicken  broth  in  place  of  ordinary 
white  stock  ;  then  it  is  not  necessary  to  add 
it  after.  The  term  "  to  mask  the  back  of  a 
spoon  "  is  a  common  one  to  indicate  the  prop- 
er thickness  for  sauces,  but  to  the  untrained 
eye  it  may  not  be  easy  to  decide  just  what 
"masking"  means.  Most  sauces  should  be 
thin  enough  to  run  quite  freely  from  the 
spoon,  yet  not  so  thin  as  to  leave  the  color 
of  the  spoon  visible  through  the  coating  of 
sauce  it  will  retain  if  it  be  dipped  into  it ; 
there  should  be  a  thin  opaque  coating  or 
"  mask  "  to  the  back  of  the  spoon.  Sauce  of 
this  thickness  is  produced  by  using  one  ounce 
(exact  weight)  of  flour  of  fine  quality  to  half 
a  pint  of  liquid.  Meat,  fish,  or  vegetables 
over  which  sauce  of  this  consistency  has 
been  poured  will  be  quite  masked,  but  the 
sauce  will  not  be  too  thick  to  serve  readily 
with  a  spoon.  This  consistency  is  worth 
some  practice  to  attain,  for  it  is  the  perfec- 
tion of  sauce-making. 

White  sauce,  when  intended  for  the  foun- 


WHITE   SAUCES.  25' 

dation  of  others,  it  must  be  observed,  is  made 
twice  as  thick,  to  allow  for  the  addition  of 
cream,  wine,  or  stock.  The  only  advantage 
in  a  private  family  of  making  it  thus  thick 
is  Avhen,  perhaps,  two  or  three  sauces  are 
needed  for  a  dinner;  for  example,  a  plain 
white  sauce  for  a  vegetable,  caper,  lobster, 
or  cardinal  for  other  purposes,  and  perhaps 
poulette,  d'Uxelles,  or  other  pale  sauce  for  an 
entree  ;  but  when  one  sauce  only  is  required, 
it  is  best  to  make  that  one  from  the  begin- 
ning ;  that  is  to  say,  make  white  sauce  with 
the  additions  that  form  it  into  Allemande, 
supreme,  or  whatever  you  require. 

Ste.  Menehoiold  Sauce  is  in  these  days 
chiefly  associated  with  "  pigs'  feet  a  la  Ste. 
Menehould,"  but  is  good  for  several  pur- 
poses. It  is  simply  half  a  pint  of  white  sauce 
into  which  a  dozen  bruised  mushrooms,  a 
gill  of  the  mushroom  liquor,  a  large  teaspoon- 
f  ul  of  finel}^  chopped  chives,  with  the  sixth  of 
a  saltspoonf  ul  of  pepper  and  one  of  salt  are 
allow^ed  to  simmer  until  the  sauce  is  the  same 


3(5  CaaOICE   COOKERY. 

thickness  as  before  the  addition  of  the  mush- 
room liquor ;  that  is  to  say,  thick  enough  to 
mask  the  spoon.  Strain,  return  to  the  sauce- 
pan, and  add  a  teaspoonf ul  of  finely  chopped 
sage  leaves,  if  for  pigs'  feet,  or  parsley  for  oth- 
er purposes ;  boil  once,  add  half  a  teaspoon- 
ful  of  lemon  juice,  and  the  sauce  is  ready. 

Bearnaise  Sauce. — This  is  one  of  the  most 
difficult  sauces  to  make,  on  account  of  the 
danger  of  the  eggs  curdling  ;  but  by  the  fol- 
lowing method  the  work  is  rendered  more 
sure  than  by  the  usual  plan.  It  has  been 
said  that  the  terrors  of  a  cook  are  Bearnaise 
sauce  and  omelette  soufflee,  but  neither  is 
really  difficult ;  great  care  only  is  necessary 
for  success  with  each. 

Chop  four  shallots  fine,  put  them  into  a 
saucepan  -with  half  a  gill  of  Tarragon  vine- 
gar and  half  a  gill  of  plain  vinegar ;  boil  till 
reduced  to  one  tablespoonf  ul ;  then  add  one 
gill  of  white  sauce,  mixing  well.  Stand  the 
saucepan  in  another  of  boiling  water ;  then 
add,  one  at  a  time,  three  yolks  of  eggs,  beat- 


WHITE    SAUCES.  27 

ing  each  one  well  in  before  adding  another, 
and  on  no  account  let  the  sauce  hoil.  Remove 
the  saucepan  from  the  fire  when  the  eggs  are 
all  in  and  show  signs  of  thickening.  Have 
ready  three  ounces  of  butter  cut  into  small 
pieces ;  drop  one  in  at  a  time,  and  w^ith  an 
egg- whisk  beat  the  sauce  till  the  butter  is 
blended ;  then  add  another  piece,  and  so  on, 
till  all  the  butter  is  used.  If  added  too 
quickly  the  butter  w411  oil,  therefore  great 
care  must  be  taken  to  see  one  piece  entirely 
blend  before  adding  another.  The  butter 
will  probably  salt  the  sauce  enough,  but  if 
not,  add  a  very  little  salt.  This  sauce  should 
have  the  appearance  of  a  Welsh-rabbit  when 
ready  to  spread ;  in  other  words,  it  should  be 
very  thick,  smooth,  and  dark  yellow. 

SouUse.  —  This  sauce,  which  transforms 
ordinary  mutton-chops  into  "  cotelettes  a  la 
Soubise,"  is  very  easily  made.  Boil  half  a 
dozen  Bermuda  onions  (medium  size)  in  milk 
till  quite  tender;  press  out  all  the  milk; 
chop  them  as  fine  as  possible;  sprinkle  a 


28  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

quarter  of  a  saltspoonful  of  white  pepper 
and  one  of  salt  over  them ;  then  stir  them 
with  a  tablespoonful  of  butter  into  half  a 
pint  of  white  sauce.  If  the  onions  should 
thin  the  sauce  too  much  (they  are  sometimes 
very  watery),  thicken  with  a  yolk  of  egg,  or 
blend  a  teaspoonful  of  flour  with  the  butter 
before  stirring  it  in.  Boil  the  sauce  three 
minutes.  ^Needless  to  say,  if  the  yolk  of  egg 
is  added,  it  must  be  beaten  in  after  the  sauce 
is  removed  from  the  stove,  and  only  allowed 
to  thicken,  not  boil. 

The  sauces  so  far  given  are  what  French 
cooks  call  "  grand  sauces."  They  are  the 
most  important  part  of  the  dish  with  which 
they  are  served,  and,  as  we  have  seen,  give 
the  name  to  it.  There  are  numberless  other 
sauces  of  which  the  white  sauce  is  parent 
that  are,  however,  not  indispensable  to  the 
dish  they  are  served  with — by  which  I  mean 
a  boiled  fish  may  be  served  with  oyster  sauce 
or  Dutch  sauce,  the  sauce  being  in  this  case 
simply  the  adjunct. 


.     WHITE   SAUCE.  29 

A  dessertspoonful  of  capers  put  into  half 
a  pint  of  white  sauce,  with  a  teaspoonful  of 
the  vinegar,  makes  caper  sauce. 

Celery  sauce  is,  again,  white  sauce  with 
the  pulp  of  boiled  celery.  Boil  the  white 
part  of  four  heads  of  celery  ( sliced  thin)  in 
milk  till  it  will  mash ;  this  will  take  an  hour, 
perhaps  more ;  then  rub  the  pulp  through  a 
coarse  sieve,  and  stir  it  into  half  a  pint  of 
white  sauce  made  w^ith  half  rich  cream. 

Oyster  sauce  is  white  sauce  made  by  using 
the  oyster  liquor  instead  of  stock.  The  oys- 
ters should  be  bearded,  just  allowed  to  plump 
in  the  liquor,  which  must  then  be  strained 
for  the  sauce,  using  a  gill  of  it  with  a  gill  of 
thick  cream  to  make  half  a  pint;  for  this 
quantity  a  dozen  and  a  half  of  small  oysters 
will  be  required. 

Shrimp  sauce,  parsley  sauce,  lobster  sauce, 
cucumber  sauce,  and  all  the  family  are  white 
sauce  with  the  addition  of  the  ingredient 
naming  it.  Cucumber  sauce,  which  is  ap- 
proved for  fish,  is  made  by  grating  a  cucum- 


30  CHOICE   COOKEEY. 

ber,  and  adding  it,  with  the  water  from  it,  to 
some  white  sauce ;  boil  till  well  flavored, 
and  then  strain.  If  too  thin,  boil  till  thick, 
stirring  carefully. 

For  shrimp  sauce  canned  shrimps  serve 
very  well  indeed ;  they  must  be  thrown  for 
a  minute  into  cold  water,  well  stirred  in  it  to 
remove  superfluous  salt,  then  drained,  and 
dried  on  a  cloth.  Put  a  gill  of  shrimps  to 
half  a  pint  of  bechamel  made  with  fish  stock, 
boil  once,  and  stir  in  just  enough  essence  of 
anchovy  to  make  the  sauce  a  pale  shrimp 
pink. 

Cardinal  sauce  is  a  handsome  sauce  for 
boiled  fish.  It  is  made  by  drying  the  coral 
from  a  lobster,  then  pounding  it  quite  smooth, 
with  one  ounce  of  butter,  until  it  is  a  per- 
fectly smooth  paste.  Stir  this  into  half  a  pint 
of  bechamel.  It  should  be  a  fine  red  when 
mixed ;  pass  through  a  sieve,  and  add  as 
much  cayenne  as  will  go  on  the  end  of  the 
blade  of  a  small  penknife. 

HoUandaise  or  Dutch  sauce  is  best  made  in 


WHITE    SAUCE.  31 

the  following  way.  There  are  other  meth- 
ods, but  this  one  meets  general  approval,  is 
not  difficult,  and  agrees  with  many  who  can- 
not possibly  eat  it  when  oil  is  used. 

Make  half  a  pint  of  drawn  butter  by  melt- 
ing one  ounce  of  butter  with  one  ounce  of 
flour  over  the  fire ;  let  them  bubble  together 
(stirring  the  while)  for  one  minute ;  then  stir 
in  half  a  pint  of  boiling  Avater  and  half  a 
teaspoonful  of  salt.  So  far,  the  making  is 
exactly  the  same  as  for  white  sauce,  except 
that  Avater  is  used  instead  of  cream  and 
stock.  Boil  once,  then  set  the  saucepan  in 
another  of  water,  and  break  up  an  ounce  of 
butter  into  small  pieces  and  add  them ;  stir 
briskly  after  each  piece  is  added,  and  see  it 
blend  before  putting  more.  When  all  is  in, 
add  the  beaten  yolks  of  five  eggs,  removing 
the  saucepan  from  the  fire  w^hile  doing  it. 
They  must  be  very  carefully  and  gradually 
stirred  in,  and  when  well  mixed  returned  to 
the  fire  until  they  hegin  to  thicken.  The 
eggs  must  be  kept  from  curdling.     Squeeze 


CHOICE   COOKEKY. 


in  two  teaspoonfuls  of  lemon  juice,  and  add 
just  a  dust  of  cayenne.  This  should  be  a 
thick,  yellow,  custard-like  sauce,  and  have  a 
perceptible  acidity  without  being  sour. 


BROWN  SAUCES. 

It  has  been  already  stated  that  the  family 
of  brown  sauces,  like  the  white,  have  one 
parent,  Esjpagnole^  or  Spanish  sauce,  which 
is  the  foundation  for  Chateaubriand,  Finan- 
ciere,  Eobert,  Poivrade,  Piquante,  and  other 
sauces.  Ordinary  brown  sauce,  like  ordinary 
white,  is  often  made  without  stock — simply 
an  ounce  of  flour,  one  of  butter,  browned  to- 
gether, and  half  a  pint  of  boiling  water 
added,  then  boiled  till  thick  and  smooth. 
But  it  may  be  safely  said  that  in  high-class 
dark  sauces  water  should  play  no  part ;  its 
place  must  be  taken  by  stock  of  good  quali- 
ty, which  is  often  enriched  by  reducing  or 
adding  glaze. 

The  characteristics  of  finely  made  Spanish 
sauce  are  a  clear  beautiful  brown,  by  no 
3 


34  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

means  approaching  black,  absolute  freedom 
from  grease,  and  a  fine  high  flavor,  so  well 
blended  that  no  particular  spice  or  herb  can 
be  detected.  Spanish  sauce  is  made  as  fol- 
lows :  Wash,  peel,  and  cut  small  six  mush- 
rooms (or  a  dessertspoonful  of  mushroom 
powder),  one  small  carrot,  one  small  onion, 
and  one  shallot ;  dry  them,  and  fry  them  a 
fine  brown  in  a  tablespoonf  ul  of  butter,  but 
do  not  let  them  burn ;  drain  off  the  butter. 
Melt  in  a  copper  saucepan  two  ounces  of 
butter  and  two  ounces  of  flour,  stir  them  to- 
gether over  the  fire  till  of  a  pale  bright 
brown,  then  add  a  pint  of  stock,  the  fried 
vegetables,  and  a  gill  of  tomato  sauce ;  let 
all  gently  simmer  for  half  an  hour  with  the 
cover  off.  Strain  through  a  fine  sieve.  When 
Spanish  sauce  is  to  be  served  without  any 
addition,  and  not  as  a  foundation,  a  wine- 
glass of  sherry  is  used  and  the  same  quan- 
tity of  stock  omitted. 

It  becomes  Chateaubriand  by  the  addition 
of  a  wineglass  of  sherry  reduced  to  half  a 


BROWN    SAUCES.  35 

glass  by  boiling  in  a  tiny  saucepan,  a  dessert- 
spoonful of  fresh  parsley  very  ^nely  chopped, 
and  the  juice  of  half  a  small  lemon.  These 
must  be  added  to  one  third  the  quantity  of 
Espagnole,  or  Spanish  sauce,  given  in  the 
foregoing  recipe.  Then  stir  in  gradually, 
bit  by  bit,  one  ounce  of  butter,  letting  each 
piece  blend  before  adding  more. 

I  have  said  here  and  elsewhere,  "  the  juice 
of  half  a  small  lemon."  Yet  I  would  cau- 
tion the  reader  to  squeeze  it  in  gradually, 
because  some  lemons  are  intensely  sour,  and 
a  very  few  drops  of  juice  from  such  go  far- 
ther than  that  of  the  whole  half  of  an  aver- 
age lemon.  Chateaubriand  sauce  is  by  no 
means  acid ;  there  must  be  only  a  just  per- 
ceptible dash  of  acidity,  and  only  so  much 
lemon  juice  used  as  will  give  it  zest.  Pi- 
quante  sauce  is  different;  there  should  be 
acidity  enough  to  provoke  appetite;  yet 
even  this  should  be  by  no  means  sour. 

To  make  Piquante  sauce,  chop  a  shallot 
fine,  put  it,  with  a  tablespoonf  ul  of  vinegar, 


36  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

into  a  very  small  saucepan ;  let  them  stew 
together  uptil  the  vinegar  is  entirely  ab- 
sorhed^  buP&o  not  let  it  burn.  Then  add  to 
it  half  a  pint  of  Spanish  sauce  and  a  gill  of 
stock,  with  a  bay-leaf  and  a  sprig  of  thyme  ; 
cook  very  gently  ten  minutes,  remove  the 
thyme  and  bay -leaf ,  and  add  a  dessertspoon- 
ful of  chopped  pickled  cucumber,  a  teaspoon- 
f ul  of  capers,  and  a  dessertspoonful  of  finely 
chopped  parsley.  Simmer  very  slowly  ten 
minutes  more ;  then  add  enough  cayenne  to 
lay  on  the  tip  of  a  penknife  blade. 

Poivrade  resembles  piquante  sauce  very 
closely,  differing  from  it,  however,  by  the 
addition  of  wine  and  higher  flavoring.  To 
make  it,  fry  an  onion  and  a  small  carrot  cut 
fine,  a  tomato  sliced,  and  an  ounce  of  lean 
ham  in  two  ounces  of  butter;  let  them 
brown  slightly;  then  add  to  them  half  a 
pint  of  claret,  a  bouquet  of  herbs,  two  cloves, 
and  six  peppercorns;  let  them  simmer  till 
the  wine  is  reduced  one  haK ;  then  add  half 
a  pint  of  good  Spanish  sauce,  boil  gently  ten 


BROWN   SAUCES.  37 

minutes,  strain,  and  serve  very  hot.  A  true 
French  poivrade  has  a  soupgon  of  garlic,  ob- 
tained by  rubbing  a  crust  on  a  clove  of  it, 
and  simmering  it  in  the  sauce  before  strain- 
ing it ;  but  although  many  would  like  the 
scarcely  perceptible  zest  imparted  by  this 
cautious  use  of  garlic,  no  one  should  try  the 
experiment  unless  sure  of  her  company. 

A  "  bouquet  of  herbs "  always  means  two 
sprigs  of  parsley,  one  of  thyme,  one  of  mar- 
joram, and  a  bay-leaf,  so  rolled  together  (the 
bay-leaf  in  the  middle)  and  tied  that  there 
is  no  difficulty  in  removing  it  from  any  dish 
which  is  not  to  be  strained. 

The  well-known  Bordelaise  sauce  is  sim- 
ply Spanish  sauce  with  the  addition  of  white 
wine  and  shallots.  Scald  a  tablespoonful  of 
chopped  shallots;  put  them  to  half  a  pint 
of  Chablis,  Sauterne,  or  any  similar  white 
wine ;  let  the  wine  reduce  to  one  gill ;  then 
mix  with  it  half  a  pint  of  Spanish  sauce  and 
the  sixth  part  of  a  saltspoonfal  of  pepper. 
Strain  and  serve. 


CHOICE   COOKERY. 


Robert  sauce,  that  excellent  adjunct  to 
beefsteak,  varies  again  from  Bordelaise,  vine- 
gar and  mustard  and  fried  onions  taking  the 
place  of  the  wine  and  shallot.  Chop  three 
medium-sized  onions  quite  fine ;  fry  them  in 
a  tablespoonful  of  butter  until  they  are  a 
clear  yellowish  -  brown,  stirring  them  con- 
stantly as  they  fry ;  drain  them,  and  put 
them  to  a  half -pint  of  Spanish  sauce,  to 
which  you  add  a  wineglass  of  stock  (to  allow 
for  boiling  away) ;  simmer  gently  twenty  min- 
utes ;  add  a  pinch  of  pepper ;  strain ;  then  mix 
a  teaspoonful  of  vinegar  in  a  cup  with  a  tea- 
spoonful  of  mustard ;  stir  this  into  the  sauce. 

Sauce  d  la  Normande  is  one  of  the  most 
delicious  sauces  for  baked  fish  of  any  kind, 
although  usually  associated  with  sole.  To 
half  a  pint  of  Spanish  sauce  add  a  dozen 
mushrooms  sliced  in  half,  a  dozen  small  oys- 
ters with  the  beards  removed,  and  a  dozen 
crawfish,  if  they  are  to  be  had,  or  their  place 
may  be  taken  by  a  tablespoonful  of  shrimps 
picked  (canned  shrimps,  washed  and  dried,  an- 


BEOWN   SArCES.  89 

swer  very  well),  one  tablespoonf  ul  of  essence 
of  anchovy,  and  just  a  dust  of  Cayenne  pepper. 

Light  Normande  is  made  by  using  be- 
chamel instead  of  Spanish  sauce,  adding  all 
the  other  materials ;  it  is  then  a  pale  salmon- 
colored  sauce,  excellent  for  boiled  fish. 

A  favorite  English  sauce  for  fish,  which  is 
also  brown  or  pink,  according  to  whether  it 
is  intended  for  baked  or  boiled  fish,  is  the 
Downton  sauce.  To  three  quarters  of  a 
pint  of  bechamel  add  a  dessertspoonful  of 
anchovy  essence  and  a  small  wineglass  of 
sherry,  mix  well,  and  serve. 

Orange  sauce  for  game  is  made  with  half 
a  pint  of  Spanish  sauce  boiled  five  minutes 
to  make  it  rather  thicker  than  usual,  the 
juice  of  three  sweet  oranges,  and  the  peel  of 
one.  This  peel  must  be  so  thinly  pared  as 
to  be  transparent.  Boil  this  peel  half  an 
hour  in  water,  then  shred  it  into  fine  even 
strips  half  an  inch  long,  and  not  thicker  than 
broom  straw.  Stew  this  shredded  peel  an- 
other half -hour  in  a  gill  of  stock,  with  a 


40  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

scant  teaspoonful  of  sugar;  then  add  it  to 
the  sauce,  with  half  a  saltspoonful  of  salt, 
and  boil  five  minutes. 

Matelote  may  come  in  with  the  brown 
sauces,  although  it  is  not  made  with  Spanish 
sauce  as  a  foundation,  but  only  Avith  strong 
stock.  It  is  used  to  simmer  fish  in  when  di- 
rected to  be  a  la  matelote,  and  if  it  were  al- 
ready thickened  the  whole  would  burn.  It 
is  made  as  follows :  Half  a  pint  of  Sauterne 
or  Chablis,  half  a  pint  of  rich  stock,  two  bay- 
leaves,  three  leaves  of  tarragon,  chervil,  and 
chive,  a  scant  saltspoonful  of  salt,  a  quarter 
one  of  pepper;  simmer  these  until  reduced 
to  one  half-pint.  A  touch  of  garlic  is  indis- 
pensable to  the  true  matelote,  but  when  used 
it  must  be  done  with  the  greatest  caution ;  a 
fork  stuck  into  a  clove  of  it,  then  stirred  in 
the  sauce  (the  fork,  when  withdrawn,  not  the 
garlic),  or  a  crust  rubbed  once  across  a  piece  of 
it,  is  the  only  way  in  which  it  should  be  used. 

Like  the  white  sauces,  the  family  of  brown 
ones  is  very  large,  but  I  have  given  those 


BROWN   SAUCES.  41 

which  require  special  directions.  Others  are 
simply  Spanish  sauce  with  the  addition  of 
the  ingredient  which  gives  its  name  to  it,  as 
brown  oyster  sauce  is  simply  Spanish  sauce 
with  oysters,  celery  sauce,  mushroom  sauce, 
and  so  on.  It  should  always  be  remembered 
that  the  consistency  must  be  preserved ;  that 
is  to  say,  except  when  special  mention  is 
made  of  the  sauce  being  thinner,  it  should 
"  mask  the  spoon,"  and  if  the  addition  made  to 
it  is  of  a  kind  to  dilute  it,  as  mushrooms  and 
part  of  their  liquor,  it  must  be  rapidly  boiled 
down  to  the  original  thickness.  In  the  same 
way,  when  ingredients  have  to  be  simmered 
in  the  sauce — and  this  is  very  often  the  case 
— then  a  wineglassf  ul  or  half  one  of  broth  or 
stock  should  be  allowed  for  the  wasting. 

In  the  next  chapter  we  will  make  acquaint- 
ance w^ith  the  miscellaneous  sauces  which 
are  not  built  on  the  foundation  of  either 
white  or  brown  sauce.  These  are  chiefly 
cold  sauces,  although  served  with  hot  dishes 
at  times,  as  Tartare,  Kemoulade,  etc. 


Y. 

COLD   SAUCES. 

Cold  dishes^  which  are  such  a  pleasing 
feature  of  foreign  cookery,  are  much  neg- 
lected with  us,  at  least  in  private  kitchens, 
or  they  are  limited  to  two  or  three  articles 
served  in  mayonnaise,  or  a  galantine,  yet 
the  dishes  w^hich  the  French  call  chaud- 
f voids  are  both  delicious  and  ornamental, 
and  it  only  requires  a  little  taste,  care,  and 
jperfect  sauce  to  convert  the  ordinary  cold 
chicken,  .turkey,  or  game  into  an  elaborate 
and  choice  dish. 

Among  cold  sauces,  of  course  mayonnaise, 
both  green,  red,  and  yellow,  reigns  supreme ; 
indeed,  of  late  years  it  has  become  almost 
hackneyed.  Yet  no  w^ork  on  choice  eat- 
ing would  be  complete  without  the  different 
forms  of  mayonnaise. 


COLD   SAUCES.  43 

Mayonnaise  is  one  of  those  sauces  in  which 
everything  depends  on  care,  and  very  little 
on  skill,  and  yet  some  women  have  quite  a 
reputation  for  making  it  among  their  friends 
who  often  declare  how  unsuccessful  their 
own  efforts  have  been,  and  that  to  succeed 
is  a  gift.  It  is  not  as  a  novelty,  therefore, 
that  the  manner  of  making  it  is  given  here, 
but  that  those  who  believe  they  have  not 
the  "magic  fingers"  may  take  courage  and 
try  again. 

First  of  all  let  me  explain  what  seems  to 
puzzle  many.  I  have  been  frequently  asked, 
"  How  much  oil  can  I  use  to  two  eggs  ?"  the 
answer  is,  "As  much  as  you  choose;"  or, 
again,  "  How  many  eggs  ought  I  to  take  to 
a  quart  of  oil?"  again  the  answer  is,  "One, 
two,  three,  or  four."  The  egg  is  only  a 
foundation,  and  mayonnaise  will  "  come  "  no 
better  with  two  yolks  than  one,  although 
some  chefs  consider  it  keeps  better  when 
two  eggs  are  used  to  a  pint  of  oil. 

A  cool  room  is  always  insisted  on  for  mak- 


44  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

ing  the  sauce,  but  to  the  amateur  I  say,  oil, 
eggs,  and  bowl  also,  should  be  put  in  the  ice- 
box until  well  chilled,  and  even  then  mishaps 
may  come  from  using  a  warm  spoon  from  a 
hot  kitchen  drawer  or  closet;  that,  therefore, 
must  be  cool  also.  Of  course  it  is  often  suc- 
cessfully made  with  only  the  usual  precau- 
tion of  a  cool  room,  but  with  everything 
well  chilled  it  is  hard  to  fail. 

If  very  little  of  the  sauce  is  wanted,  one 
yolk  of  egg  will  be  better  than  two.  Sepa- 
rate the  yolks  very  carefully,  allowing  not  a 
speck  of  white  to  remain ;  remove  also  the 
germ  which  is  attached  to  the  yolk.  /Stir 
the  yolk  at  least  a  minute  hefore  beginning  to 
add  oil ;  then  arrange  your  bottle  or  a  sharp- 
spouted  pitcher  in  your  left  hand  so  that  it 
rests  on  the  edge  of  the  bowl,  and  you  can 
keep  up  a  pretty  steady  drop,  drop,  into  the 
egg^  while  you  stir  with  your  right  steadily. 
The  oil  must  be  added  drop  by  drop,  but 
this  does  not  mean  a  drop  every  two  or 
three  minutes ;  you  may  add  a  drop  to  every 


.    COLD    SAUCES.  45 

one  or  two  circuits  of  the  spoon.  The  rea- 
son for  adding  it  slowly  is  that  each  drop 
may  form  an  emulsion  with  the  egg  before 
more  goes  in.  After  two  or  three  minutes 
look  carefully  at  the  mixture ;  if  it  has  not 
begun  to  look  pale  and  opaque,  but  retains  a 
dark,  oily  appearance,  stir  it  steadily  for  two 
minutes,  and  then  add  oil  slowly,  drop  by 
drop,  stirring  all  the  time.  If  it  has  not  now 
begun  to  thicken,  it  probably  will  not ;  but 
the  materials  are  not  lost.  Put  the  yolk  of 
another  egg  into  a  cool  bowl,  and  begin 
again  using  the  egg  and  oil  you  have  already 
mixed,  in  place  of  fresh  oil.  When  this  is 
all  used,  proceed  with  the  oil  (it  is  hoped, 
however,  that  the  work  will  have  proceeded 
without  the  necessity  for  beginning  afresh). 
When  the  mayonnaise  becomes  quite  thick, 
use  a  few  drops  of  vinegar  to  thin  it ;  then 
more  oil,  until  sufficient  sauce  is  made.  Then 
white  pepper  and  salt  should  be  added  for 
seasoning.  The  vinegar  used  should  be  very 
strong,  so  that  very  little  of  it  will  be  suffi- 


46  CHOICE    COOKERY. 

cient  to  give  the  necessary  acidity,  without 
making  it  too  thin.  This  is  especially  the 
case  when  the  sauce  is  required  to  mask 
salad.  It  should  for  this  purpose  be  set  on 
ice  until  firm,  but  in  all  cases  be  kept  cold. 
The  best  mayonnaise,  left  in  a  warm  kitchen, 
would  separate  and  become  oily.  The  stir- 
ring must  be  steady  and  constant,  and  the 
task  must  not  be  left  until  completed. 

Mayonnaise  is  the  basis  of  several  other 
sauces,  so  that  in  accomplishing  it  a  great 
deal  is  done. 

Green  mayonnaise  is  made  by  dropping  a 
bunch  of  parsley  into  boiling  water,  and  in  a 
minute  or  two,  when  it  becomes  intensely 
green,  take  it  up,  pound  it  in  a  mortar,  and 
then  through  a  sieve.  Use  as  much  pulp  as 
will  color  the  sauce  a  delicate  green. 

Red  mayonnaise,  used  for  cardinal  salad 
and  other  purposes,  is  made  by  pounding 
lobster  coral  very  fine  and  stirring  it  in.  It 
mast  not  be  forgotten  that  anything  added 
to  mayonnaise  must  be  ice-cold. 


COLD   SAUCES.  47 

Asjpic  mayomiaise  is  another  form  of  the 
sauce,  used  in  dressing  cold  dishes,  and  while 
more  delicious  than  the  usual  sauce,  will  keep 
its  form  for  hours  after  the  dish  is  dressed. 
It  is  absolutely  necessary  to  prepare  it  on 
ice.  Put  half  a  pint  of  stiff  aspic  jelly  into 
a  bowl  set  in  cracked  ice,  whisk  it  with  an 
egg-beater  until  it  is  a  white  froth  (usually 
the  motion  will  melt  it,  but  to  save  labor  it 
may  be  set  in  lukewarm  water  to  soften, 
then  beaten,  but  no  oil  must  be  added  until 
it  is  again  ice-cold  froth) ;  then  beat  in  very 
gradually  a  quarter  of  a  pint  of  olive  oil 
and  a  tablespoonful  of  tarragon  vinegar,  pro- 
ceeding with  the  same  care  as  for  the  usual 
mayonnaise ;  add  a  saltspoonful  of  salt,  a 
pinch  of  pepper,  and  the  same  of  powdered 
sugar. 

Norwegian  sauce  is  preferred  by  many  to 
Tartare  for  some  purposes,  and  is  made  by 
^Mlvig  freshly  grated  horseradish  to  mayon- 
naise in  the  proportion  of  two  tablespoonf uls 
to  half  a  pint. 


48  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

Tartar e  sauce  is  mayonnaise  with  the  ad- 
dition of  mustard,  chives,  pickles,  and  tarra- 
gon, chopped.  As  usually  served,  it  has  only 
mustard  and  capers  or  chopped  cucumber, 
but  for  those  to  whom  a  slight  flavor  of 
onion  is  not  disagreeable,  chives  should  be 
added.  To  half  a  pint  of  mayonnaise  use  a 
teaspoonful  of  dry  mustard  mixed  with  two 
of  tarragon  vinegar,  then  stir  into  the  sauce. 
To  this  add  a  tablespoo'nful  either  of  capers 
or  chopped  pickled  cucumber;  this  is  the 
usual  Tartare  sauce ;  but  the  French  recipe 
is  a  tablespoonful  of  very  finely  chopped 
chives,  a  teaspoonful  each  of  fresh  tarragon 
and  chervil  in  place  of  the  pickles. 

Cold  cucumher  sauce  is  mayonnaise  with 
an  equal  quantity  of  grated  cucumber, 
drained,  pressed,  and  stirred  into  it,  with  a 
saltspoonful  of  salt  and  a  few  drops  of  very 
strong  vinegar. 

Horseradish  saxice  is  a  very  good  sauce  for 
hot  or  cold  beef,  roast  or  boiled.  Grate  three 
tablespoonfuls  of  horseradish  fine,  put  to  it 


COLD   SAUCES.  49 

a  teaspoonful  of  sugar,  one  of  salt,  and  one 
of  vinegar,  or  a  tablespoonful  of  Chablis 
wine ;  let  them  soak  an  hour  or  two,  and  the 
last  thing  before  serving  stir  in  four  table- 
spoonfuls  of  cream  that  is  whipped  very 
solid.  A  half -teaspoonful  of  dry  mustard  is 
sometimes  mixed  with  the  horseradish,  but 
that  is  a  matter  of  taste.  "When  the  sauce 
is  to  be  served  hot,  two  yolks  of  egg  and 
two  tablespoonfuls  of  water  must  be  substi- 
tuted for  cream,  which  would  curdle.  The 
water,  horseradish,  etc.,  must  first  come  to 
the  boiling-point,  then  the  eggs  added  grad- 
ually, and  just  allowed  to  thicken,  not  to 
boil. 

Mint  Sauce. — Take  only  the  young,  tender 
leaves,  not  a  bit  of  stem,  and  chop  very  fine 
indeed.  To  two  tablespoonfuls  add  a  table- 
spoonful  and  a  half  of  brown  sugar  and  three 
of  vinegar.  It  should  be  quite  thick,  not  as 
we  so  often  see  it — vinegar  with  a  few  bits 
of  mint  floating  around. 

Mint  Jelly  for  masking  cold  lamb  or  cut- 
4 


50  CHOICE   COOIJERY. 

lets. — Take  two  tablespoonfuls  of  Spanish 
sauce,  and  dissolve  in  it  a  good  teaspoonful 
of  gelatine  softened  in  cold  stock,  a  table- 
spoonful  of  aspic,  and  one  of  thick  mint 
sauce.  If  no  aspic  is  ready,  it  is  not  worth 
while  to  make  for  the  small  quantity  needed ; 
a  teaspoonful  of  glaze,  two  of  gelatine,  and 
half  a  wineglass  of  Sauterne  may  be  dis- 
solved together  to  take  its  place.  'No  gela- 
tine will  be  needed  w4th  the  Spanish  sauce 
in  this  case. 

Sweet  sauces  will  be  left  until  the  desserts 
are  treated  of. 


YI. 

SOUPS. 

It  is  not  proposed  to  give  the  soups  to  be 
found  readily  in  most  cooking-books  in  these 
pages,  but  only  those  less  known  or  of  pecul- 
iar excellence. 

It  is  supposed  that  the  reader  understands 
the  making  of  good  beef  or  veal  stock,  and 
perhaps  the  usual  way  of  clearing  it.  But 
since  cooking  has  been  studied  scientifically, 
improvements  on  methods  have  been  intro- 
duced ;  one  of  these  is  the  clearing  of  soup 
with  albumen  of  meat  instead  of  Qgg.  The 
advantages  of  this  method  are  that  the  soup 
is  strengthened  and  the  flavor  improved,  while 
clearing  with  whites  of  eggs  in  the  usual  way, 
though  greatly  improving  the  appearance, 
tends  to  lessen  the  flavor  of  soup. 

To    clear    Consomme    with   Beef.  —  Con- 


52  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

somme  is  reduced  stock,  or  stock  made  of  ex- 
tra strength.  Carefully  remove  all  fat  from 
three  pints  of  it  when  cold.  It  will,  of  course, 
be  a  stiff  jelly.  Chop  fine  an  onion,  a  carrot, 
and  a  turnip.  Chop  half  a  pound  of  lean  beef 
from  which  all  fat  is  removed ;  this  is  best 
put  through  a  chopping-machine,  as  it  must 
be  very  fine.  Put  the  consomme,  meat,  and 
vegetables  into  a  saucepan.  Stir  them  brisk- 
ly till  just  on  the  boiling-point.  Remove  the 
spoon,  let  the  soup  boil  up  well  one  minute. 
It  should  now  be  clear.  Take  a  clean  cloth, 
fix  it  on  a  soup  stand  or  in  a  colander,  pour 
boiling  water  through  it,  to  warm  it  thorough- 
ly ;  throw  the  water  away,  and  pour  the  soup 
gently  through  the  cloth  twice ;  do  not  press 
or  stir  it.  It  will  be  beautifully  clear  and  of 
excellent  color.  It  is  now  ready  to  serve  for 
a  variety  of  soups,  named  according  to  what 
is  served  in  them. 

Consomme  a  la  Rachel. — This  is  consomme 
to  which  is  added  tiny  quenelles  made  in  egg- 
spoons,  and  colored  red,  green,  and  black. 


SOUPS.  53 

Quenelle  meat  is  made  from  the  uncooked 
breast  of  chicken  or  game,  the  backs  of  hares 
or  rabbits  (or  it  may  be  made  for  certain 
purposes  of  fish  or  very  white  veal),  first 
chopped,  and  then  pounded  in  a  mortar  until 
it  is  a  perfectly  smooth  paste.  Mere  chopped 
meat  is  not  what  is  required ;  it  must  be 
fine  enough  to  go  through  a  sieve.  For 
Consomme  a  la  Rachel,  however,  the  breast 
of  chicken  is  necessary.  Take  four  ounces 
of  chicken,  free  from  skin  and  sinew ;  pound, 
it  until  quite  smooth ;  the  more  it  is  pounded 
the  better  it  is.  Mix  with  it  thick  cream,  a 
scant  saltspoonful  of  salt,  very  little  pepper, 
and  half  a  beaten  egg,  until  it  is  a  softish 
paste,  yet  firm  enough  to  mould ;  mix  thor- 
oughly. Now  try  a  little  by  poaching  in  a 
teaspoon;  that  is,  fill  a  teaspoon  Avith  the 
mixture,  pressing  it  in  form,  then  drop  it  into 
boiling  water  for  three  minutes.  Open  the 
quenelle  and  taste  it ;  if  it  is  creamy,  light, 
and  well  flavored,  it  is  right,  but  if  there  is 
the  least  toughness,  add  a  little  more  cream 


^  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

to  the  mixture.  E"otice  also  the  seasoning; 
if  more  salt  is  needed,  add  it  carefully,  and 
try  again,  till  you  have  the  quenelle  mixture 
just  right,  that  is  to  say,  creamy,  light,  very 
tender,  yet  keeping  its  form.  At  present 
quenelles  as  entrees  or  for  soups  form  such 
an  important  part  of  fine  cooking  that  it  is 
worth  while  to  get  the  mixture  perfect  for 
other  purposes  than  the  present. 

Having  your  quenelle  meat  ready,  proceed 
to  vary  it  as  follows,  allowing  one  quenelle 
of  each  color  to  each  guest :  For  the  green 
quenelles  use  sufficient  pounded  tarragon  to 
color  one  third  the  meat  delicately.  For  the 
second  use  sufficient  lobster  coral  pounded  to 
redden  it.  The  third  must  be  made  dark 
with  pounded  truffles.  Great  care  must  be 
taken  to  keep  the  three  portions  separate,  so 
that  one  color  may  not  injure  the  other.  To 
form  them  use  two  very  small  coffeespoons 
or  eggspoons,  as  the  quenelles  should  not  be 
larger  than  small  olives ;  butter  the  spoons 
slightly,  and  when  formed  drop  each  for  one 


SOUPS.  55 

or  two  minutes  into  boiling  pale-colored  stock. 
Drop  them,  as  they  are  done,  into  cold  water, 
in  which  they  must  be  kept  until  you  are 
ready  to  use  them.  When  the  soup  is  to  be 
served,  drain  them,  lay  the  number  required 
in  the  tureen,  and  pour  the  boiling  consomme 
on  them.  They  will  not  require  heating  in 
the  soup.  It  may  be  observed  that  raw  spin- 
ach pounded  and  rubbed  through  a  sieve, 
and  boiled  red  beet,  may  be  used  to  color 
the  meat  green  and  red,  and  the  rest  left 
white.  The  consomme  is  then  called  Con- 
somme d' Orleans. 

Consomme  aux  (Eufs  files. — Put  one  quart 
of  cleared  consomme  to  boil.  Mix  one  ^gg^ 
one  dessertspoonful  of  flour,  one  tablespoon- 
ful  of  milk,  a  pinch  between  forefinger  and 
thumb  of  salt,  and  a  dust  of  pepper,  into  a 
batter,  rub  a  nutmeg  once  back  and  forth 
over  the  grater,  and  stir.  When  the  soup 
boils,  pass  this  batter  through  a  fine  strainer 
into  it.     It  should  look  like  threads. 

Consomme    a    la    Sevigne.  —  Pound    two 


56  CHOICE    COOKERY. 

ounces  of  breast  of  cooked  chicken  until  it 
will  pass  through  a  ^v^ide  sieve.  Mix  with  it 
two  eggs,  three  tablespoonfuls  of  milk, 
twelve  drops  of  almond  essence,  a  scant 
saltspoonful  of  salt,  as  much  nutmeg  as  will 
go  on  the  end  of  a  penknife  blade,  and  a  dust 
of  cayenne.  When  well  blended,  fill  three  or 
four  small  round  muffin  pans,  well  greased, 
and  steam  slowly  twenty  minutes,  or  until 
set.  Turn  out  very  carefully ;  let  them  cool ; 
then  cut  them  into  fancy  shapes,  and  serve 
in  one  quart  of  boiling  consomme.  A  few 
asparagus  points  boiled  until  just  tender,  but 
not  mushy,  are  to  be  dropped  in  the  last 
thing. 

Fotage  a  la  Ilollandaise. — For  this  Avill  be 
required  one  quart  of  veal  or  chicken  stock, 
two  ounces  of  butter,  one  ounce  of  flour,  four 
yolks  of  eggs,  half  a  pint  of  cream,  one  gill 
of  green  peas,  one  gill  of  boiled  carrots,  one 
gill  of  boiled  cucumber,  one  teaspoonful  of 
fresh  tarragon  chopped  fine,  one  teaspoonful 
of  sugar,  and  one  teaspoonful  of  salt.     Trim 


SOUPS.  57 

the  carrots  and  cucumber  with  a  very  small 
scoop  or  cutter  the  size  and  shape  of  peas ; 
cook  them  just  tender,  and  no  more,  in  boil- 
ing water.  Put  the  stock  on  to  boil ;  skim 
if  necessary ;  add  the  salt  and  sugar.  Break 
the  eggs  into  a  bowl,  add  the  cream  to  them, 
and  beat  them  till  well  mixed.  This  forms 
a  "liaison."  Make  the  butter  and  flour  into 
a  paste  in  a  bowl,  pour  half  a  gill  of  cold 
stock  to  it,  then  enough  hot  stock  to  dissolve 
it;  when  mixed  smooth,  stir  it  into  the  boil- 
ing stock,  let  it  boil,  then  remove  from  the 
fire,  and  stir  in  very  carefully,  to  prevent 
curdling,  the  liaison  of  eggs  and  cream ;  let 
it  come  to  the  boiling-point,  but  not  boil,  or 
it  will  curdle.  Strain  it  into  a  clean  stew- 
pan,  and  add  the  vegetables ;  let  all  get  hot 
together;  then  strew  in  the  tarragon. 

Chestnut  Soup  {puree  de  marrons). — Slit 
twenty -five  large  chestnuts  at  each  end,  put 
them  in  boiling  water,  and  boil  ten  minutes. 
Drop  them  into  cold  water,  and  remove  both 
the  outer  and  inner  skin.     Melt  three  ounces 


68  CHOICE   COOKEEY. 

of  butter  in  a  saucepan,  put  in  the  chestnuts, 
and  saute  (toss  them  about)  for  a  few  minutes, 
but  do  not  brown  them ;  then  add  a  pint  and 
a  half  of  rich  white  stock,  and  let  the  nuts 
boil  in  it  until  very  tender,  when  they  must 
be  rubbed  through  a  fine  sieve.  Boil  up 
again,  add  half  a  pint  of  cream,  a  teaspoonf  ul 
of  powdered  sugar,  a  teaspoonful  of  salt  (less 
if  the  stock  be  salted),  and  a  pinch  of  pepper. 
Princess  Soujy. — Cut  a  chicken  in  pieces ; 
wash  it ;  butter  a  stewpan,  put  in  the  chick- 
en with  a  blade  of  mace,  an  onion,  a  bay- 
leaf,  and  twelve  white  peppercorns.  Let  this 
simmer,  closely  covered,  ten  minutes,  shaking 
it  often  to  prevent  its  browning ;  then  put  to 
it  two  quarts  of  hot  veal  stock,  and  simmer 
one  hour.  Put  into  another  stewpan  two 
ounces  of  flour  and  two  ounces  of  butter; 
stir  them  together,  and  let  them  bubble  once, 
then  strain  the  liquor  from  the  chicken  to  it ; 
stir  well,  and  cook  a  few  minutes.  Take  the 
white  meat  from  the  bones  of  the  chicken, 
pound  it  in  a  mortar  very  fine,  stir  it  to  the 


SOUPS.  59 

stock,  then  rub  through  a  soup  strainer ;  add 
just  before  serving  half  a  pint  of  fresh  cream 
and  the  juice  of  half  a  lemon.  This  soup 
must  be  made  hot,  but  not  boil,  after  the 
chicken  pulp  and  cream  are  added. 

Potage  d  la  Royale. — Boil  two  ounces  of 
macaroni  till  tender,  but  not  broken ;  throw 
it  into  cold  water.  Put  three  pints  of  white 
stock  to  boil ;  cut  the  macaroni  into  lengths 
half  an  inch  long ;  beat  three  yolks  of  eggs 
in  a  bowl  with  a  gill  of  cream;  throw  the 
macaroni  into  the  soup ;  when  it  boils,  re- 
move from  the  fire,  add  the  cream  and  eggs 
and  an  ounce  of  grated  Parmesan  cheese; 
stir  till  the  soup  reaches  the  boihng-point, 
but  by  no  means  iet  it  boil,  after  the  cream 
and  eggs  are  added,  or  it  will  be  spoiled. 
Salt  soup  always  in  the  proportion  of  a  mod- 
erate teaspoonful  of  salt  to  the  quart ;  if  the 
stock  is  seasoned,  only  add  salt  for  the  cream, 
eggs,  etc.  Use  just  a  suspicion  of  cayenne. 
In  making  soup  to  which  eggs  are  added, 
the  utmost  care  is  required,  yet  not  any  more 


60  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

than  in  making  custard.  The  main  point  is 
to  let  the  eggs  come  near  enough  to  the  boil- 
ing-point to  thicken,  yet  far  enough  from  it 
not  to  curdle.  This  a  little  patience  will  ac- 
complish by  watching  and  removing  the 
saucepan  for  a  few  seconds  as  the  boiling- 
point  approaches,  then  returning  it ;  do  this 
once  or  twice,  till  the  opaque,  creamy  appear- 
ance shows  the  eggs  are  done. 


YII. 

FISH  ENTREES. 

Instead  of  giving  recipes  for  cooking  fish 
whole,  for  which  excellent  directions  are  to 
be  found  in  several  modern  cookery  books, 
recipes  for  fish  entrees  will  be  substituted. 
They  are  now  frequently  served  at  the  fish 
course,  and  by  their  convenience  and  econ- 
omy, as  well  as  the  variety  they  afford,  are 
likely  to  grow  in  favor.  Another  point  for 
them  is  that  they  can  often  be  made  hours 
before,  and  simply  heated  when  needed,  thus 
relieving  the  cook  of  the  most  critical  part 
of  her  work  at  the  time  when  she  needs  her 
attention  free. 

Some  of  these  entrees  will  be  more  suited 
for  breakfast,  luncheon,  or  supper  dishes  than 
to  precede  a  heavy  dinner,  such,  for  instance, 
as  the  preparations  of  oysters  when  they 


63  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

have  been  also  served  before  soup;  but  the 
recipes  are  included  here  for  their  intrinsic 
worth. 

Fillets  of  Cod  a  la  Normande. — Butter  a 
tin  dish,  lay  on  it  three  slices  of  cod  moder- 
ately thick  (an  inch  to  an  inch  and  a  half), 
pour  over  them  one  wineglass  of  white  wine, 
place  a  buttered  paper  over  them,  and  bake 
in  a  moderate  oven  fifteen  minutes.  Eeduce 
another  glass  of  wine  in  a  stewpan  by  sim- 
mering, add  to  it  half  a  pint  of  white  sauce, 
twelve  small  oysters,  bearded  and  blanched, 
twelve  small  quenelles,*  and  twelve  button 
mushrooms.  Season  with  pepper  and  salt. 
Simmer  one  minute  only,  or  the  oysters  will 
harden.  Place  the  slices  of  fish  on  a  hot 
dish,  pour  the  sauce  over  them,  place  the 
oysters,  mushrooms,  and  quenelles  in  groups 
in  the  corners  of  the  dish. 

Lobster  Soufflees. — Cut  up  the  meat  of  a 
boiled  hen  lobster  into  neat  dice,  showing  as 

*  See  Quenelles  in  No.  VI. 


FISH   ENTREES.  63 

much  of  the  red  as  possible.  Prepare  as 
many  small  ramekin  or  soufflee  cases  as 
may  be  required  by  pinning  bands  of  writ- 
ing-paper round  them  two  to  three  inches 
higher  than  the  case.  Take  three  table- 
spoonfuls  of  mayonnaise,  half  a  pint  of  stiff 
aspic  jelly,  and  a  gill  of  tomato  sauce  in 
which  a  teaspoonful  of  gelatine  has  been 
dissolved.  Every  utensil  used  must  be  ice- 
cold,  the  jelly  must  be  quite  cold,  but  not  set. 
Put  the  tomato  sauce,  the  jelly,  and  the  may- 
onnaise (which  should  be  left  on  the  ice  till 
the  last  thing)  into  a  bowl  set  in  another 
bowl  of  pounded  ice ;  whisk  them  together 
until  they  begin  to  look  white ;  then  stir  the 
lobster  in  it,  with  a  teaspoonful  of  very  fine- 
ly chopped  chervil  and  tarragon;  fill  the 
soufflee  cases,  piling  the  dressing  high ;  put 
them  on  a  dish  on  ice.  When  they  are  "  set," 
carefully  remove  the  paper  bands,  sprinkle  a 
little  dried  and  sifted  lobster  coral  over  the 
tops,  and  serve. 

Coquilles   of  Prawns.  —  Pick   the   shells 


64  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

from  four  dozen  prawns;  mix  with  one 
third  the  quantity  of  mushrooms  slightly 
stewed  in  a  tablespoonful  of  butter  and  a 
saltspoonful  of  salt  (the  mushrooms  must 
not  be  brown) ;  add,  four  tablespoonf uls  of 
Allemande  sauce  ;*  fill  the  shells,  w^hich  must 
be  well  buttered,  dress  each  over  with  fine 
bread  crumbs  which  have  been  carefully  fried 
a  golden  brown;  put  them  in  a  cool  oven 
twenty  minutes,  only  get  thoroughly  hot, 
but  not  to  cook. 

Coqiiilles  of  Salmon  or  Halibut.  —  Take 
one  pound  of  cold  halibut  or  salmon ;  break 
it  into  small  pieces;  put  it  in  a  stewpan 
Tvith  half  a  saltspoonful  of  salt  and  a  tin}^ 
pinch  of  pepper,  and  half  a  pint  of  white 
sauce,  a  tablespoonful  of  very  thick  cream, 
and  a  teaspoonful  of  anchovy  sauce;  stir 
well,  and  let  all  get  hot.  Butter  some  shells, 
sprinkle  over  w^itli  a  few  fried  crumbs,  fill 
with    the    mixture,   cover   with    the    fried 

*  See  directions  in  No.  II. 


FISH   ENTREES.  65 

crumbs,  and  put  them  in  the  oven  to  get 
thoroughly  hot.     Serve  on  a  napkin. 

Salmon  en  Papillotes. — Cut  some  sUces  of 
salmon  into  cutlets  the  right  size  for  serving, 
make  paper  cases  to  fit  them,  then  cover 
each  slice  with  the  following  mixture :  two 
tablespoonfuls  of  salad  oil  beaten  Avith  the 
yolk  of  an  egg,  one  teaspoonful  of  parsley 
chopped,  one  shallot  chopped,  and  one  an- 
chovy (all  these  must  be  chopped  as  finely 
as  possible),  a  half-saltspoonful  of  salt,  and 
a  grain  of  cayenne ;  mix,  spread  on  the  fish, 
envelop  each  piece  in  a  well-buttered  case, 
fasten  up  (by  pinching  the  paper  well),  and 
bake  half  an  hour.     Serve  in  the  papers. 

Fillet  of  Sole  a  la  Normande. — In  speak- 
ing of  sole,  one  of  course  means  the  flounder, 
which  is  coming  to  be  called  the  American 
sole,  and  when  filleted  does  make  a  fair  sub- 
stitute for  the  real  thing,  and  it  is  suitable 
for  cooking  in  every  way  that  the  English 
sole  can  be  used,  except  whole.  A  boiled 
flounder  without  filleting,  or  a  flounder  fried 
5 


66  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

whole,  as  is  so  often  done  with  sole,  would 
be  very  coarse.  Fillet  two  flounders  (in 
cities  this  will  be  done  by  the  fishmonger, 
but  in  the  country  it  may  have  to  be  done 
in  the  kitchen,  therefore  directions  for  doing 
it  will  be  appended),  lay  the  fillets,  neatly 
trimmed  and  shaped,  into  a  thickly  buttered 
pan  or  dish — either  fire-proof  porcelain  or 
any  other  that  can  go  to  table — pour  over 
them  a  glass  of  sherry  and  four  tablespoon- 
fuls  of  consomme ;  cover  with  oiled  paper, 
and  bake  ten  minutes  in  a  moderate  oven; 
take  out  the  pan,  pour  over  the  fillets  half  a 
pint  of  sauce  Normande  •  return  to  the  oven 
for  five  minutes,  and  serve  in  the  pan. 

Sole  d  Vllorly. — Make  a  frying  batter 
thus:  mix  one  tablespoonful  of  milk  with 
two  ounces  of  flour  and  a  tablespoonful  of 
salad  oil  to  a  smooth  paste ;  then  add  two 
yolks  of  eggs,  and  the  whites  whipped  firm, 
with  a  quarter  of  a  saltspoonf ul  of  salt ;  mix 
with  an  upward  movement  of  the  spoon,  so 
as  not  to  deaden  the  whites  of  eggs.     Set  it 


FISH    ENTREES.  67 

aside  while  you  prepare  the  sole.  Mix  a 
tablespoonful  of  salad  oil,  a  teaspoonful  of 
Chili  vinegar,  a  teaspoonful  of  tarragon  vine- 
gar, a  teaspoonful  of  parsley  and  one  of  onion 
chopped  exceedingly  fine,  a  scant  saltspoon- 
f  ul  of  salt,  and  a  quarter  one  of  pepper.  Mix 
all  together,  then  cut  the  fillets  in  half,  trim- 
ming away  all  ragged  appearance,  and  lay 
them  for  fifteen  minutes  in  the  mixture 
(called  a  marinade) ;  take  them  out,  drain 
them  on  a  sieve,  and  then  dip  each  fillet  in 
the  batter.  This  batter  should  be  just  thick 
enough  to  coat  the  fish  and  run  slowly  off, 
not  cling  in  a  thick  paste  round  it.  A  French 
rule  for  testing  the  thickness  of  frying  batter 
is  to  dip  a  spoon  in  it  and  then  let  a  drop  run 
off  the  end  on  a  plate ;  if  it  drops  freely,  yet 
keeps  a  beadlike  form,  it  is  right.  Fry  each 
fillet  in  a  wire  basket  three  minutes  in  very 
hot  deep  fat.     Serve  with  fried  parsley. 

Turbans  of  Sole  a  la  Bouennaise. — As 
these  require  a  little  of  the  same  mixture  as 
would  be  used   for  lobster  cutlets   or  cro- 


e$  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

quettes,  it  is  good  management  to  have  them 
^Yhen  lobster  is  required  for  something  else. 
The  mixture  for  the  cutlets  is  made  as  fol- 
lows (less  than  a  fourth  of  it  would  be  re- 
quired for  the  turbans) :  remove  all  the  flesh 
from  a  boiled  hen  lobster;  chop  it  small; 
wash,  dry,  and  pound  the  coral,  with  an 
ounce  of  butter ;  take  one  gill  of  white  sauce, 
mix  the  lobster  coral  and  a  tablespoonful  of 
cream  with  it,  and  boil  five  minutes ;  mix  in 
the  lobster  with  a  little  salt  (unless  the  lob- 
ster is  salt  enough)  and  a  grain  of  cayenne. 
This  made  into  cutlets,  egged,  crumbed,  and 
fried,  is  excellent,  but  our  purpose  now  is  to 
use  it  for  stuffing.  Take  as  many  fillets  of 
sole  as  required,  spread  the  lobster  mixture 
on  each,  roll  them  up,  run  a  toothpick 
through  them  to  keep  them  in  shape ;  trim 
till  each  will  stand ;  put  them  on  a  buttered 
baking-sheet,  cover  with  buttered  paper,  and 
bake  ten  minutes.  Chop  up  two  truffles,  two 
hard-boiled  yolks  of  eggs,  and  a  tablespoon- 
ful of  parsley,  each  chopped  separately.    Take 


FISH    ENTEEES.  69 

up  the  turbans,  pour  over  them  half  a  pint  of 
cardinal  sauce,  and  ornament  the  turbans, 
one  with  the  truffles,  one  with  the  yolk  of 
egg,  and  one  with  parsley ;  so  on  alternately. 
Directions  for  Filleting  Flounders. — Take 
a  sharp  knife,  cut  away  the  fins  all  round  the 
fish,  and  split  the  flounder  right  down  the 
middle  of  the  back,  then  run  the  knife  care- 
fully between  the  flesh  and  bones,  going  tow- 
ards the  edge.  You  have  now  detached 
one  quarter  of  the  flesh  from  the  bone ;  do 
the  other  half  in  the  same  way,  and  when 
the  back  is  thus  entirely  loose  from  the  bone, 
turn  the  fish  over  and  do  the  same  with  the 
other  side.  You  will  now  find  j^ou  can  re- 
move the  bone  whole  from  the  fish,  detach- 
ing, as  you  do  so,  any  flesh  still  retaining  the 
bone.  Then  you  have  two  halves  of  the  fish, 
and  you  have  four  quarters  of  solid  fish.  To 
remove  the  skin,  take  the  tail  end  firmly  be- 
tween the  thumb  and  forefinger  of  the  left 
hand,  hold  the  skin  side  downward  on  the 
board,  and  with  your  knife  make  an  incision 


.70  CHOICE    COOKERY. 

across  the  flesh,  then,  keeping  the  skin  firm- 
ly between  your  thumb  and  finger,  push  the 
knife  betAveen  it  and  the  flesh,  shghtly  hu- 
moring it  to  prevent  tearing  the  flesh.  The 
skin  parts  quite  easily,  but  no  attempt  must 
be  made  to  cut  the  fish  from  it. 


YIII. 

VARIOUS  WAYS  OF  SERVING  OYSTERS. 

Oysters  a  la  Yilleroi. — Scald  (or  blanch) 
some  large  oysters,  dry  them,  then  drop 
them  into  some  very  thick  Yilleroi  sauce,*  let 
them  get  hot  in  it,  but  not  boil.  Take  them 
out  one  by  one ;  be  sure  they  are  thickly  coat- 
ed with  the  sauce ;  have  a  large  dish  heaped 
with  sifted  crumbs  or  cracker  meal ;  as  you 
lift  each  oyster  from  the  sauce  lay  it  on  the 
meal,  turn  it  gently  over  in  the  meal,  so  that 
a  light  coat  adheres,  and  the  sauce  is  by  no 
means  rubbed  off.  Place  them  on  an  oiled 
plate  where  they  Avill  get  quite  cold,  so  that 
the  sauce  may  chill  and  form  a  whitish  glaze 
under  the  crumbs.  Beat  two  eggs  with  two 
tablespoonf uls  of  water,  and  when  free  from 

*  See  No.  II. 


72  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

strings  dip  each  oyster  in  the  egg,  using  a 
small  fork ;  let  superfluous  egg  drip  off  for  a 
moment,  then  lay  the  oyster  again  on  a  deep 
bed  of  cracker  crumbs,  cover  well,  pat  very 
gently,  and  lay  each  as  you  do  it  on  a  dish 
sprinkled  Avith  them.  Fry  two  minutes  in 
very  hot  deep  fat,  being  careful  the  oysters 
do  not  touch  each  other. 

If  I  have  made  these  directions  as  clear  as 
I  hope,  it  will  be  understood  that  each  oyster 
has  a  rich  creamy  coating  under  the  crumbs, 
and  every  effort  must  be  made  to  avoid  break- 
ing the  outer  shell  of  egg  and  crumb.  For 
this  reason  the  fat  should  be  heated  to  400°. 
But  although  great  care  in  handling  is  neces- 
sary, they  are  not  difficult  to  succeed  with 
when  that  care  is  given. 

Oyster  Kahohs. — There  are  two  ways  of 
preparing  these  dainties,  and  I  give  both. 
For  those  who  cannot  eat  bacon  the  lirst  will 
probably  be  acceptable.  For  kabobs  of  any 
kind,  silver  or  plated  skcAvers  are  proper,  al- 
though very  slender  wooden  ones  may  bo 


VARIOUS    WAYS    OF    SERVING    OYSTERS.         73 

used.  Put  in  a  stewpan  a  small  onion  chopped 
very  fine,  a  dessertspoonful  of  parsley,  and  a 
dozen  mushrooms,  also  chopped ;  let  these  fry 
one  minute  in  a  large  tablespoonful  of  but- 
ter, add  a  dessertspoonful  (scant)  of  flour, 
stir  all  together,  then  drop  in  as  many  fat 
oysters  as  are  required ;  they  must  have  been 
blanched  in  their  own  liquor  and  the  beards 
removed ;  stir  all  round,  and  add  three  beat- 
en yolks  of  eggs,  one  at  a  time,  taking  care 
they  do  not  curdle,  but  get  just  thick  enough 
to  cling  round  the  oyster.  String  six  oys- 
ters on  each  little  skewer,  basting  with  the 
sauce  wherever  it  does  not  adhere ;  let  each 
skewer  cool,  then  roll  the  whole  in  beaten 
eggs  and  abundant  cracker  meal,  so  that  the 
skewer  will  seem  to  be  run  through  a  sausage 
lengthwise.  Fry  two  minutes  in  very  hot 
deep  fat,  serve  on  a  napkin ;  allow  one  skew- 
er to  each  person.  Two  minutes,  if  the  fat 
be  sufficiently  hot,  will  fry  oysters  a  pale 
yellow-brown.  They  should  never  take  long- 
er than  this,  for  oysters  harden  and  shrink  if 


74  CHOICE    COOKEEY. 

overdone  in  the  least.  For  this  reason  the 
use  of  a  pyrometer,  when  possible,  saves  mis- 
takes and  trouble.  Such  articles  as  oysters, 
smelts,  or  any  small  things,  should  be  fried 
at  a  temperature  of  380°  to  400°.  It  must 
be  remembered  that  all  fried  articles  darken 
after  they  leave  the  frying-kettle,  and  there- 
fore a  very  pale  yellow  becomes  a  golden 
color  on  the  dish. 

Kabobs  JS'o.  2. — This  is  the  recipe  given  by 
the  author  of  the  well-known  Pytchley  Books, 
and  is  admirable.  Take  the  beards  from  as 
many  fat,  fair-sized  oysters  as  required.  You 
require  bacon  of  which  the  fat  is  thick  enough 
through  to  allow  of  circles  being  cut  from  the 
slices  as  large  as  the  oysters.  Cut  the  bacon 
very  thin,  get  a  cutter  the  size  of  the  oysters, 
trim  them  with  it,  then  cut  eight  circles  of  ba- 
con for  six  oysters.  Put  first  a  piece  of  ba- 
con, then  an  oj^ster,  then  more  bacon,  on  each 
little  skewer,  till  there  are  six  oysters  with 
a  piece  of  bacon  between  each  through  the 
centre  and  one  at  each  end ;  string  them  very 


VARIOUS   WAYS   OF   SERVING   OYSTERS.        75 

evenly.  Take  a  very  little  cayenne  on  the 
tip  of  a  knife  and  a  saltspoonful  of  salt; 
mix  this  with  two  beaten  eggs  to  which  two 
tablespoonfuls  of  water  have  been  added. 
Dip  each  skewer  of  kabobs  in  this ;  let  them 
drip  an  instant,  then  lay  them  on  a  deep  bed 
of  crumbs  or  cracker  meal.  Cover  them  thor- 
oughly, shake  them,  then  dip  again  into  the 
egg  (if  this  has  become  full  of  crumbs  strain 
it),  and  again  lay  them  in  the  meal.  Shake 
lightly  again,  and  arrange  each  skewer  of  ka- 
bobs in  a  frying-basket,  and  fry  two  minutes. 
I  have  spoken  in  the  foregoing  directions 
for  ^'  crumbing  "  of  using  plenti/  of  meal,  and 
experience  tells  me  that  the  rule  with  those 
unfamiliar  Avith  proper  methods  is  to  use  so 
little  that  a  plateful  would  be  considered 
plenty.  With  this  quantity  no  good  work 
can  be  done.  You  need  to  turn  on  to  a 
board  or  dish  at  least  a  quart  of  crumbs,  or 
a  whole  box  of  cracker  meal.  This  will  en- 
able you  to  smother  the  article  until  every 
part  is  covered,  instead  of  sprinkling  a  little 


76  CHOICE    COOKERY. 

over  and  under  (which  generally  falls  off  as 
fast  as  put  on,  and  leaves  a  surface  yellow 
with  egg  in  parts),  as  you  must  do  if  a  small 
quantity  only  is  used.  All  the  meal  that  is 
left  must  be  carefully  sifted  and  put  away. 
If  the  small  masses  of  egg  and  crumb  which 
will  be  mixed  w^th  it  are  not  sifted  out  the 
cracker-meal  cannot  be  used  again.  There 
must  also  be  plenty  of  egg  used  for  dipping. 
Oysters  in  Aspic. — For  these  dariole  moulds 
are  needed,  or  the  small  fire-proof  china  souf- 
flee  cases  which  imitate  paper  may  be  used. 
A  dariole  is  a  small  straight-sided  tin  mould, 
holding  rather  less  than  a  gill.  They  will 
be  found  at  large  house-furnishing  stores,  or 
a  tinman  could  easily  make  them,  they  be- 
ing, in  fact,  like  deep  corn-muffin  pans.  If 
they  are  made  to  order,  avoid  getting  them 
too  large — three  inches  deep  by  two  across 
will  be  large  enough.  Fill  these  moulds  with 
aspic  jelly  nearly  cold,  set  them  on  ice  w^hile 
you  prepare  the  oysters,  which  must  be  beard- 
ed and  cooked  till  plump  in  butter,  but  not 


VARIOUS   WAYS   OF   SEBVINO   OYSTERS.        77 

allowed  to  color.  When  cool,  cut  them  in 
half,  throw  them  into  some  stiff  bechamel,* 
which  must  be  warmed  till  like  thick  cream, 
sprinkle  with  a  dust  of  cayenne ;  lay  the  oys- 
ters to  get  cold,  that  the  bechamel  may  hard- 
en on  them.  Scoop  the  centre  very  careful- 
ly out  of  the  moulds  of  aspic,  leaving  a  half- 
inch  thickness  all  round,  fill  the  centres  with 
the  oysters,  pour  in  more  aspic,  cold,  but  not 
set,  and  put  on  ice  for  a  few  hours,  or  till 
ready  to  serve.  The  aspic  from  the  centres 
should  have  been  preserved  and  used  to  chop 
Avith  more  to  garnish  the  dish.  Turn  the 
moulds  out  ver}^  carefully,  and  garnish  with 
chopped  aspic  and  watercress  or  parsley. 

It  is,  of  course,  understood  that  bechamel 
sauce,  cold,  is  like  blanc-mange,  and  that  any- 
thing coated  with  it  will  be  enveloped  in  w^hite 
jelly,  not  in  a  sticky  white  sauce.  If  bechamel 
does  not  become  white  jelly  when  cold  the 
stock  of  which  it  is  made  is  not  stiff  enough. 

Lobster  in  Aspic  is  prepared  as  for  salad, 

*  See  No.  II. 


78  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

the  solid  meat  cut  in  dice  and  rolled  in  may- 
onnaise, then  in  chopped  chervil  or  parsley. 
Then  proceed  exactly  as  for  the  oysters. 

Oysters  d  la  Tartare.  —  The  oyster-shells 
for  serving  oysters  a  la  Tartare  must  be  of 
good  shape  and  exquisitely  clean  ;  therefore, 
when  using  oysters  on  the  half -shell,  always 
pick  out  any  that  may  be  deep  yet  stand 
well,  and  have  a  good  shape ;  scald  and  scrub 
them,  and  keep  for  use.  Scald  as  many  fat 
oysters  as  required  in  their  own  liquor  till 
firm— three  minutes  at  boiling-point  will  usu- 
ally do  this ;  the  oysters  must  be  just  plump, 
yet  if  underdone  they  will  be  flabby.  Put 
them  on  ice,  choose  as  many  tiny  leaves  as 
you  have  oysters  from  the  heart  of  a  lettuce ; 
they  must  all  be  of  a  size,  or  trimmed  so,  and 
the  size  only  just  large  enough  to  line  the 
shells  without  coming  over  them.  Lay  a 
leaf  on  each  shell,  cut  each  oyster  in  half, 
lay  four  halves  in  pyramid  fashion  on  the 
lettuce  leaf,  and  mask  the  top  of  each,  just 
before  serving,  with  Tartare  sauce.  Allow 
tw^o  to  each  person. 


IX. 

VARIOUS  CULINARY  MATTERS. 

Tins  little  book  does  not  pretend  to  go  into 
what  may  be  called  the  principles  of  cooking, 
except  in  so  far  as  they  are  involved  in  the 
production  of  all  choice  cookery  ;  and  where 
it  is  considered  that  a  principle  is  little  known 
or  too  little  attended  to,  the  effort  will  be 
made  to  give  it  emphasis  by  reiteration  here. 

By  principles  of  cooking  I  mean  the  sim- 
ple rules  by  which  roasting,  boiling,  stew- 
ing, etc.,  are  successfully  accomplished.  Any 
book  or  series  of  articles  written  a  dozen 
years  ago  would  have  been  of  no  real  use 
without  these  rudiments,  but  within  that  pe- 
riod there  have  been  cooking-schools  start- 
ed and  cookery  books  written  so  exceeding- 
ly exact  in  directions  that  it  will  be  unneces- 
sary to  repeat  them  in  "  Choice  Cookery," 


80  CHOICE  COOKERY. 

which  does   not  pretend  to   include  family 
cooking. 

For  this  reason  the  cooking  of  joints  of 
meat  will  not  be  entered  into.  Nevertheless 
there  are  certain  rudiments  of  cooking  which 
are  not  dwelt  on  usually  in  books.  They  are 
taught  in  the  cooking-schools,  and  those  of 
my  readers  who  have  had  the  advantage  of 
attending  them  wiU  not  need  the  instruction 
here  given.  But  I  meet  Avith  many  women 
who  devote  much  time  to  the  art  of  cooking, 
and  who  have  taught  themselves  by  book  and 
experiment  all  they  know,  who  yet,  when  told 
to  chop  a  small  quantity  of  herbs  very  fine, 
Avill  struggle  and  chop  almost  leaf  by  leaf  in 
their  faithful  endeavor  to  carry  out  the  di- 
rection. Others,  less  faithful,  finding  their 
method  chops  some  parts  fine  and  leaves 
some  leaves  almost  whole,  let  it  go  at  that, 
with  the  reflection  that  ''  that  must  do,  as  it 
would  take  all  day  "  to  get  them  all  one  de- 
gree of  fineness.  So,  although  it  may  seem 
almost  too  trivial  a  point  to  need  mention, 


VAEIOUS    CULINARY    MATTERS.  81 

we  will  go  into  the  matter  of  herb-chopping, 
lemon-grating,  etc.,  that  the  simple  opera- 
tions may  be  performed  easily  and  in  a  very 
short  time. 

To  Chop  Herbs. — Use  the  leaves  only,  never 
the  stems ;  let  them  be  fresh  and  crisp,  or, 
if  wilted,  leave  them  in  water  for  a  time. 
Gather  the  leaves  firmly  between  the  thumb 
and  three  fingers  of  the  left  hand ;  shave 
them  through  with  a  sharp  knife  as  you  push 
them  forward  under  it.  (The  process  resem- 
bles chaff-cutting  by  hand  machine.)  Turn 
them  round  ;  gather  them  up  again,  and  cut 
across  them  in  the  same  way  ;  then  finish  by 
chopping  quickly,  holding  the  point  of  the 
knife  with  the  left  hand  and  bringing  it  dowm 
on  the  little  heap  of  herbs  with  the  right,  al- 
ways gathering  them  together  as  fast  as  the 
chopping  scatters  them.  Five  minutes  will 
chop  a  tablespoonful  of  mint  or  parsley  al- 
most to  pulp.  A  sharp  steel  knife  and  a 
small  board  must  be  used,  not  the  chopping- 
bowl. 
6 


82  CHOICE    COOKERY. 

French  books  often  direct  so  much  fine 
herbs  to  be  used ;  English  books  .mean  the 
same  thing  when  they  call  for  "  sweet  herbs," 
and  a  mixture  of  one  part  marjoram,  two 
parts  thyme,  and  three  parts  parsley  is  meant 
by  both. 

The  grating  of  a  lemon  is  a  most  simple 
operation,  and  it  may  seem  that  every  one 
must  know  how  to  do  it ;  but  this  is  far  from 
being  the  case.  As  many  dishes  of  curdled 
custards  and  sauces  are  caused  by  this  fact, 
the  right  way  in  this  case,  is  very  important. 
The  object  of  using  grated  rind  of  lemon  is 
to  obtain  the  fragrance  and  flavor,  which  dif- 
fer very  greatly  from  any  extracts,  hoAvever 
good.  Now  the  whole  of  the  oil  which  con- 
tains this  fragrance  is  at  the  surface — is,  in 
fact,  the  yellow  portion  of  the  rind ;  therefore 
this,  and  only  this,  must  be  removed  with 
the  grater.  The  white  part  underneath  is 
bitter,  and  will  cause  milk  or  cream  to  curdle, 
but  it  contains  no  particle  of  lemon  flavor. 
Yet  when   lemon  flavor  is  called  for  the 


VARIOUS    CULINARY   MATTERS.  83 

lernon  is  often  grated  right  down  to  the  pulp 
in  parts,  while  the  yellow  rind  is  left  on  in 
patches. 

A  lemon  should  be  grated  evenly,  begin- 
ning at  the  end  and  working  round  it,  using 
as  small  a  surface  of  the  grater  as  possible, 
to  prevent  waste.  The  habit  of  turning  the 
lemon  as  you  grate  comes  as  easily  as  to  turn 
an  apple  under  the  knife  Avhen  peeling.  Gen- 
erally twice  across  the  grater  and  back  be- 
tween each  turn  will  remove  all  the  essential 
oil,  but,  while  guarding  against  grating  too 
deeply,  care  must  be  taken  to  remove  the 
whole  of  the  yellow  surface.  A  well-grated 
lemon  should  be  exactly  of  the  same  shape  as 
before,  have  no  deep  scores  into  the  pith,  and 
have  an  oily-looking  surface. 

Perhaps  before  proceeding  to  the  prepa- 
ration of  the  combination  dishes  known  as 
made  dishes  or  entrees,  a  few  words  may  be 
useful  to  those  readers  whose  ambition  to  ac- 
complish results  may  cause  them  to  defeat 
their  own  ends.     To  such  I  would  say,  go 


84  CHOICE    COOKERY. 

slowly ;  never  attempt  the  more  difficult 
thing  until  the  simpler  one  is  beyond  chance 
of  failure.  Thus  in  following  the  instructions 
in  this  book  the  Aviser  women  will  have  accom- 
plished, perhaps,  each  week  one  or  two  things 
they  may  have  selected,  and  it  must  not  be 
forgotten  the  plan  of  the  work  is  that  one 
recipe  shall  serve  as  a  key  to  many  others. 

A  great  many  will  very  likely  have  delayed 
trying  to  make  the  sauces  until  the  dish  for 
which  they  will  be  required  is  given.  This  is 
a  mistake,  because  it  is  less  annoying  to  fail 
with  a  sauce  with  no  dish  depending  on  it, 
than,  say,  w^hen  you  have  decided  to  have 
sole  d  la  Villeroi,  the  soles  being  ready,  and 
fail  with  the  sauce. 

I  hope  that  no  failure  wall  come  to  any 
one  trying  the  recipes  here  given,  but  in 
some  cases,  especially  in  sauces  thickened 
with  eggs,  a  second's  diverted  attention  may 
cause  failure  without  fault  of  the  cook.  There- 
fore it  is  best  to  make  single  experiments 
when  there  is  no  danger  of  being  disturbed, 


VARIOUS    CULINARY    MATTERS.  85 

and  when  there  is  nothing  else  to  be  attended 
to.  The  successful  result  need  never  be  lost, 
for  in  the  case  of  sauces  they  can  be  reheat- 
ed the  next  day  in  a  bain-marie,  or  pan  of 
hot  water ;  the  same  with  the  soups,  and,  in- 
deed, most  other  things,  except  soufflees  ^nd 
omelets. 

But,  above  all  things,  never  try  a  recipe 
for  the  first  time  the  day  you  wish  it  to  ap- 
pear perfect  on  your  table ;  try  it  long  be- 
fore, and  if  you  fail,  make  the  same  thing 
over  again,  reading  the  directions  very  care- 
fully ;  some  trifling  caution  or  precaution 
may  have  escaped  you.  l^o  one  ever  learns 
to  draw  so  simple  a  thing  as  a  circle  who  is 
discouraged  at  the  first  bad  curve,  and  leaves 
it  for  easier  lines.  Keep  on  at  the  thing  you 
select  to  do  until  you  succeed,  always  choos- 
ing and  ])erfecting  the  easiest  thing  in  each 
class  first. 


X. 

ENTRIES. 

Fillet  of  Beef.  —  This  favorite  dish  with 
French  and  Americans  may  be  roasted  whole, 
or  cut  so  as  to  serve  individually.  To  roast 
it  whole,  it  must  be  trimmed  perfectly  round, 
and  either  larded  or  not  as  taste  may  dictate. 
A  fillet  weighing  four  pounds  should  be 
roasted  three  quarters  of  an  hour  in  a  sharp 
oven.  It  may  then  be  served  a  la  Chdteauhri- 
and  by  pouring  over  it  half  a  pint  of  the  sauce 
of  that  name,  with  horseradish  sauce,  or 
brown  mushroom  sauce  (brown  sauce  with 
mushrooms  added). 

To  serve  individually,  fillets  are  prepared 
in  the  following  way :  Cut  a  fillet  into  eight 
slices  three  quarters  of  an  inch  thick;  trim 
the  slices  into  perfect  circles,  all  exactly  the 
same  size ;  flatten  them ;  put  them  in  a  hot 


ENTREES.  87 

pan,  and  saute  for  seven  or  eight  minutes  in 
two  ounces  of  butter;  dress  thera  round  a 
dish,  and  pour  over  them  the  sauce  from 
which  the  dish  will  take  its  name. 

Filets  de  Bmufdla  Bearnaise. — Serve  with 
half  a  pint  of  Bearnaise  sauce. 

Filets  de  Bmuf  aux  Champignons. — Dress 
as  before ;  leave  in  the  centre  of  the  dish 
room  for  a  mound  of  stewed  mushrooms ; 
pour  over  the  fillets  half  a  pint  of  rich  browm 
sauce.  Serve  these  dishes  as  soon  as  cooked  : 
the  meat  is  spoiled  by  waiting. 

I  have  received  several  letters  from  readers 
living  where  lobster  is  only  to  be  had  in  cans, 
asking  if  there  is  no  substitute  for  the  coral 
in  making  cardinal  sauce.  Canned  lobster 
frequently  contains  a  great  deal  of  coral, 
which  is  as  good  for  coloring  and  flavoring 
as  the  fresh.  This  can  only  be  known,  how- 
ever, before  opening,  when  the  cans  are  of 
glass.  The  pulp  of  red  beet-root  passed 
through  a  sieve  and  added  to  white  sauce  or 
mayonnaise  gives  a  beautiful  red  tint;  but 


88  CHOICE    COOKEEY. 

the  flavor,  while  excellent  for  a  salad  or  as 
vegetable  sauce,  would  be  unsuitable  for  serv- 
ing with  fish. 

Grenadines  of  Beef  with  Mushrooms  and 
Poivrade  Sauce. — Take  as  many  slices  of 
fillet  of  beef,  cut  three  quarters  of  an  inch 
thick,  as  you  require.  Trim  them  to  a  pear 
shape,  three  and  a  half  inches  long  and  three 
wide  at  the  broadest  part.  Lard  these  with 
bacon,  and  put  them  into  a  saute  pan  with  a 
gill  of  brown  sauce  and  a  glass  of  sherry 
(half  the  sauce  if  there  are  very  few  grenar 
dines) ;  let  them  cook  gently  for  fifteen  min- 
utes. Dissolve  a  piece  of  glaze  the  size  of  a 
walnut  by  putting  it  in  a  cup  which  is  set  in 
boiling  water ;  when  dissolved,  take  up  the 
grenadines,  dish  them  in  a  circle,  and  glaze 
them  (a  brush  is  properly  used  for  this  pur- 
pose, but  the  glaze  can  be  spread  with  a  knife 
dipped  in  hot  water).  Fill  the  centre  of  the 
circle  with  a  pyramid  of  small  mushrooms 
mixed  with  a  gill  and  a  half  of  poivrade  sauce.* 

*  See  No.  IV. 


ENTREES.  89 

Fillets  of  Beef  a  la  Grande-Bretagne. — Cut 
two  pounds  of  iillet  into  neat  slices  an  inch 
thick ;  sHt  them  (with  a  small  French  boning- 
knife  or  small  penknife)  in  such  a  way  that 
you  form  a  pocket  in  each  the  mouth  or 
opening  of  which  is  smaller  than  the  pocket 
itself.  This  can  be  done  by  laying  the  fillet 
flat  on  a  board,  laying  your  hand  on  the  top 
of  it,  making  a  slit  two  inches  wide,  then 
with  the  point  of  the  knife  enlarging  the 
slit  inside,  but  not  the  entrance  to  it.  The 
opening  should  extend  half-way  through ; 
into  this  put  a  force-meat  made  of  horserad- 
ish sauce  "^  and  macaroni  boiled  and  cut  fine. 
The  force-meat  must  be  used  sparingly,  so  as 
not  to  increase  materially  the  thickness  of 
the  fillet ;  fasten  the  opening  of  each  with  a 
wooden  toothpick.  Saute  these  fillets  for 
fifteen  minutes;  glaze  them  as  directed  in 
last  recipe ;  arrange  them  in  a  circle,  with  a 
pyramid  of  tiny  potato  balls  in  the  centre. 
Pour  rich  brown  sauce  round. 

*SeeNo.V. 


90  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

Mutton  Cutlets  d  la  cF  Uxelles. — Cut  some 
cutlets  from  the  neck  of  mutton,  leaving  two 
bones  to  each,  trim  very  carefully,  remove 
the  upper  part  of  one  bone,  split  the  cutlets 
without  separating  them  at  the  bone,  spread 
some  thick  d' Uxelles  sauce^"  inside,  fold  the 
cutlets  together,  run  a  toothpick  through 
them,  and  broil  for  four  minutes  on  each  side 
over  a  hot  fire.  Have  a  layer  of  chopped 
mushrooms  stewed  in  butter  in  the  dish,  lay 
the  cutlets  on  it,  pour  over  some  d' Uxelles 
sauce,  and  garnish  with  truffles,  cut  in  very 
thin  circles. 

Mutton  Cutlets  a  la  Milanais. — Take  six 
cutlets  from  a  neck  of  mutton  ("French 
chops,"  many  butchers  term  them),  mix 
equal  quantities  of  grated  Parmesan  cheese 
and  cracker  meal.  Dip  the  cutlets  into  rich 
thick  brown  sauce,t  then  into  the  cracker 
and  Parmesan ;  shake  off  loose  crumbs ;  dip 
them  now  into  beaten  egg  in  which  a  little 
salt  and  very  finely  chopped  parsley  and 

*  See  No.  11.  t  See  No.  IV. 


ENTREES.  91 

chives  have  been  mixed,  and  then  dip  them 
a  second  time  in  the  Parmesan  and  bread 
crumbs ;  drop  them  into  a  kettle  of  very  hot 
fat ;  in  four  minutes  they  will  be  done.  Do 
not  fry  more  than  four  at  a  time,  as  too  many 
cool  the  fat.  Dish  them  in  a  circle  with  spa- 
ghetti dressed  with  Parmesan  in  the  centre. 
It  seems  to  me  just  here  that  before  giv- 
ing further  recipes  for  fried  articles  I  had 
better  make  sure  that  all  my  readers  un- 
derstand the  process  of  frying  in  deep  fat. 
I  have  used  the  Avord  saute  too,  and  although 
no  doubt  both  these  processes  are  familiar  to 
most  readers  Avho  would  be  likely  to  practise 
"  Choice  Cookery,"  for  those  who  are  not 
adepts  many  of  the  recipes  would  be  impos- 
sible to  execute.  Frying,  once  understood, 
is  so  easy  a  process  one  wonders  that  so  few 
should  excel  in  it.  To  those  who  are  not 
sure  of  themselves  I  recommend  practice. 
A  couple  of  hours'  practice  and  careful  ob- 
servance of  rules  will  enable  a  bright  woman 
to  fry  successfully. 


92  CHOICE    COOKERY. 

For  this  practice  you  may  prepare  several 
different  articles  and  fry  one  after  the  other 
— one  or  two  very  soft  and  creamy  croquettes, 
one  or  two  breaded  articles,  especially  such 
as  are  dipped  in  thick  sauce  before  being 
crumbed,  etc. 

The  principle  on  w^hich  articles  that  are 
very  soft  and  creamy,  underneath  the  sur- 
face of  egg  and  crumbs,  are  fried  is  this  :  the 
creamy  substances,  whether  rich  sauce  like 
d'Uxelles  and  Villeroi,  or  the  cream  used  to 
mix  croquettes,  must  always  be  made  of 
stock  that  w411  jelly  w^hen  cold.  The  sauce 
is  used  Avarm,  and  the  articles  are  put  to  chill 
on  ice,  so  that  they  are  in  a  jellied  condi- 
tion. ]N"ow  the  fat  into  which  they  are 
plunged  must  be  so  hot  that  it  sets  the  coat- 
ing of  egg  and  crumbs,  which  forms  a  thin 
shell,  as  it  were,  before  the  jelly  has  had 
time  to  melt ;  the  shell  once  formed,  the  in- 
terior cooks  in  the  intense  heat  very  quick- 
ly. If  the  fat  w^ere  not  hot  enough,  cro- 
quettes would  go  all  to  pieces,  and  articles 


ENTREES.  93 

coated  with  sauce  would  lose  the  better 
part  of  it. 

To  fry,  you  require  a  stewpan  or  iron  ket- 
tle ;  those  called  Scotch  kettles  are  best,  as 
they  set  into  the  range  readily.  A  frying- 
pan  i»  only  useful  for  sauteing  in  little  fat. 
Articles  to  be  fried  must  be  immersed  in  fat, 
and  no  frying-pan  is  deep  enough  to  do  this 
safely.  Put  two  to  three  pounds  of  clarified 
dripping  or  lard  into  the  kettle,  and  let  it  get 
very  hot.  This  will  be  after  it  ceases  to 
sputter — some  time  after,  perhaps ;  but  you 
must  now  begin  to  watch  for  smoke  to  rise 
from  the  centre.  Have  near  you  some  little 
squares  of  bread  crumb ;  drop  one  in  from 
time  to  time;  only  when  it  colors  immedi- 
ately is  the  fat  hot  enough.  At  this  point 
no  time  must  be  lost,  and  your  frying  be- 
gins. 

Of  course  you  will  have  the  articles  you 
intend  to  fry  right  at  hand.  You  will  also 
need  a  large  dish,  in  which  you  lay  com- 
mon butcher's  wrapping-paper  (often  called 


94  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

"  kitchen  paper  ")  and  a  perforated  skimmer 
— some  like  a  frjing- basket,  and  for  very 
small  things  it  is  an  assistance;  but  for 
croquettes,  cutlets,  etc.,  it  is  not  necessary : 
they  can  be  laid  on  the  skimmer  and 
dropped  in  the  fat. 

The  easiest  and  safest  Avay  to  fry  is  to 
use  a  cooking  thermometer  (pyrometers  or 
frimometers  they  are  sometimes  called), 
and  let  the  fat  be  380°  for  croquettes, 
oysters,  and  articles  that  only  require  two 
minutes'  cooking ;  360°  for  cutlets  and  heav- 
ier articles. 

The  time  required  for  articles  to  cook  in 
the  frying-kettle  seems  astonishingly  short. 
For  instance,  a  breaded  chop  will  be  cooked 
to  a  medium  degree  in  two  and  a  half  min- 
utes, well  done  in  three  minutes ;  but  it  must 
be  remembered  the  heat  is  intense.  Cro- 
quettes must  never  be  left  longer  than  two 
minutes,  while  whitebait  (which,  however, 
require  special  instruction  to  fry  without 
getting  them  into  a  cake)  need  less  than  a 


ENTKEES.  95 

minute.  Potatoes  require  longer  than  most 
things;  but  the  fat  need  not  be  cooler  at 
first,  as  would  seem  necessary,  because  they 
are  so  full  of  water,  even  when  well  dried, 
that  they  cool  the  fat  rapidly. 

Saitteing  (a  word  that  would  be  expressive 
of  the  process  in  English  would  be  a  boon 
to  writers  on  cooking). — The  process  gener- 
ally meant  by  "  frying "  is  really  sauteing ; 
yet  so  general  has  been  the  misconception 
among  all  but  professed  cooks,  that  one  has 
to  take  the  precaution  in  giving  directions 
for  frying  to  say,  "  Fry  in  deep  fat."  It 
ought  to  be  understood  that  to  fry  is  to  im- 
tnerse  in  hot  fat.  If  some  term  suitable  for 
kitchen  use  could  be  found,  half  the  difficul- 
ty would  be  over.  In  old  English  books  a 
very  fair  translation  was  used;  they  told 
you  to  "toss  the  article  in  butter,"  but 
though  it  rendered  saute  "jump"  fairly,  it 
did  not  express  the  process.  There  is  neither 
tossing  nor  jumping  about  it,  unless  an  occa- 
sional shake  to  the  pan  be  called  so  ;  and  as 


96  CHOICE    COOKERY. 

"  |lat  frying,"  "  dry  frying,"  are  awkward, 
the  sooner  we  boldly  take  saute  into  com- 
mon use,  and  let  it  become  a  kitchen  word 
as  familiar  as  fricassee  (which  surely  must 
have  been  very  unfamiliar  once),  the  better. 
To  saute  —  although  every  Bridget  or 
Gretchen  fancies  she  can  do  it — requires 
nicety  and  care  to  do  it  well,  and  is  far  more 
difficult  than  "frying  in  deep  fat."  The 
pan  requires  to  be  hot,  also  the  fat  or  butter 
used,  which  should  cover  the  bottom  of  the 
pan ;  a  bright  fire  is  required.  Things  that 
take  long  to  cook  require  more  fat  than 
those  that  require  but  a  short  time.  Ejffort 
must  be  made  to  adjust  the  proportion,  as 
adding  cold  fat  prevents  browning.  Yeal 
cutlets  and  many  other  things  are  far  better 
sauted  than  fried.  The  articles  sauted  re- 
quire to  be  watched  that  they  do  not  burn ; 
yet  they  must  not  be  too  often  turned,  or 
they  will  not  brown — except,  of  course,  such 
things  as  are  chopped,  which  require  fre- 
quent stirring  up. 


enteep:s.  97 

In  speaking  of  chilling  articles  coated 
with  sauce  to  be  fried,  I  omitted  to  give  the 
caution  that,  in  the  case  of  meats,  care  must 
be  taken  not  to  leave  them  long  enough  to 
freeze  the  meat. 
T 


XI. 

ENTREES  OF  MUTTOX  CUTLETS  OR  CHOPS. 

Mutton  Cutlets  a  la  Duchesse. —  Take  as 
many  cutlets  (or  French  chops)  as  required. 
Stew  them  in  stock,  with  a  small  bouquet  of 
herbs,  very  gently  until  they  are  perfectly 
tender.  Take  them  up,  skim  the  stock,  and 
strain  it ;  return  to  a  small  saucepan,  and  re- 
duce the  liquid  to  a  glaze ;  dip  each  cutlet  in 
the  glaze  and  lay  it  aside.  Have  ready  what 
cooks  now  call  a  "  panada,"  made  of  a  gill  of 
thick  white  sauce,  two  yolks  of  eggs  stirred 
into  it  and  allowed  to  approach  the  boiling- 
point,  but  not  to  boil  (this,  of  course,  must  be 
done  in  a  double  boiler),  or  the  eggs  will  cur- 
dle ;  chop  a  dessertspoonful  of  parsley  very 
fine ;  parboil  and  chop  also  very  fine  three 
onions ;  pound  thoroughly  in  a  mortar  eight 
mushrooms;  stir  these  all  into  the   thick 


ENTREES.  99 

sauce,  with  a  saltspoonful  of  salt  and  a  quar- 
ter one  of  pepper.  Eoll  each  cutlet  in  this 
force-meat  (if  found  too  stiff  to  adhere  prop- 
erly, moisten  with  a  little  cream  or  a  little 
liquor  from  the  mushrooms),  lay  them  on  a 
fire-proof  dish,  and  cover  with  bread  crumbs 
and  bits  of  butter.  Bake  them  until  they 
are  a  golden  brown.  Serve  with  brown  Sou- 
bise  sauce. 

Lamh  Cutlets  en  Concoiiibre.  —  Trim  and 
cut  six  lamb  cutlets  three  quarters  of  an  inch 
thick,  flatten  them  a  little  to  make  them  of 
equal  size  and  thickness;  flour  them,  and 
saute  them  in  butter  five  minutes.  The  fire 
must  be  sharp,  because  they  must  be  a  nice 
brown  on  both  sides.  Arrange  them  round 
an  entree  dish,  with  a  gill  of  brown  sauce 
poured  outside,  and  a  pint  of  fillets  of  cu- 
cumber in  the  centre. 

To  Prepare  Fillets  of  Cucumher. — Cut  firm 
fresh  cucumbers  lengthwise  through  the  mid- 
dle, remove  seeds  and  all  soft  parts,  cut  into 
inch  lengths  and  into  olive  shapes  all  the 


100  CHOICE  COOKERY. 

same  size.  Put  them  into  a  stewpan  with 
an  ounce  of  butter,  a  pinch  of  pepper,  a  salt- 
spoonful  of  sugar  and  one  of  salt,  and  let 
them  stew  until  quite  tender,  without  acquir- 
ing any  color.  To  do  this  the  stewpan  must 
be  closely  covered  and  frequently  shaken. 

Lamb  Cutlets  with  a  Puree  of  Mushrooms. — 
Trim  and  cook  and  serve  the  cutlets  as  in 
the  foregoing  recipe,  only  in  place  of  the  cu- 
cumbers make  a  puree  of  mushrooms  in  the 
following  way :  stew  half  a  pint  of  button 
mushrooms  and  part  of  their  liquor  in  half 
a  pint  of  white  sauce  until  they  are  very  ten- 
der (taking  care  the  sauce  does  not  burn), 
pound  them  in  a  mortar,  then  force  them 
through  a  vegetable  strainer;  then  add 
enough  of  the  white  sauce  in  which  they 
were  stewed  to  make  the  puree  the  sub- 
stance of  very  thick  cream. 

Cold  Lamb  Cutlets  in  Mint  Jelly. — Roast  a 
piece  of  what  butchers  call  the  rack  of  lamb, 
which  is  really  the  neck  and  ribs.  Let  it  get 
cold ;  cut  from  it  six  cutlets,  which  trim  just 


ENTEEES.  101 

as  if  they  were  uncooked ;  that  is  to  say,  re- 
move meat  and  fat  from  the  bone,  and  scrape 
it.  Mask  each  of  the  cutlets  in  mint  jelly* 
warmed  enough  to  be  half  fluid.  Arrange 
very  carefully  round  an  entree  dish  when  they 
are  perfectly  set,  so  that  the  jelly  will  not 
come  off.  Have  a  Russian  salad  in  the  centre. 
How  to  Prepare  the  Salad. — To  prepare 
this  you  require  two  or  three  small  vegetable 
cutters  of  pretty  shape;  use  them  to  trim 
carrots,  white  turnips,  and  cucumbers  into 
small,  attractive  forms;  boil  these  in  sep- 
arate waters  till  tender;  also  green  peas, 
sprays  of  cauliflower,  and  very  tiny  young 
string-beans.  Throw  each  vegetable  as  it  is 
cooked  into  ice-cold  water  to  keep  the  color. 
Have  some  red  beet-root  boiled  hefor^e  it  is 
cut  into  shapes.  Use  equal  quantities  of  each 
vegetable.  Arrange  them  with  peas  in  the 
centre,  and  the  others  in  circles  round,  study- 
ing the  effect  of  color ;  then  dress,  but  do  not 
mask,  them  with  green  mayonnaise. 
*  For  recipe,  see  No.  V. 


103  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

At  seasons  when  materials  for  Kussian 
salad  cannot  readily  be  obtained  the  chops 
may  be  served  with  a  centre  of  cucumber 
salad,  or  one  made  of  the  small  white  leaves 
of  lettuce. 

Cutlets  Chaiidfroid  a  la  Busse. — For  this 
cold  dish  mutton  cutlets  are  used.  They 
must  be  of  the  finest  quality,  and  from 
mutton  not  newly  killed.  Cut  as  many 
cutlets  as  required,  trim,  and  scrape  the 
bone.  Braise  for  an  hour  in  a  moderate 
oven  till  the  meat  is  very  tender,  remove, 
and  press  between  two  dishes  until  they  are 
cold.  Then  trim  each  cutlet  into  perfect 
shape.  Boil  a  quart  of  strong  stock  (which 
already  jellies)  down  to  less  than  half  a  pint ; 
dip  each  chop  into  this  glaze  once  or  twice, 
till  they  look  "varnished."  You  now  re- 
quire a  pint  of  stiff  aspic  jelly ;  turn  it  out 
of  the  bowl,  cut  one  or  two  slices  a  quarter 
of  an  inch  thick  from  it,  to  be  cut  into  shapes 
(or  croutons)  with  a  cutter  to  garnish  the 
cutlets.     Chop  the  rest  of  the  aspic,  lay  it 


ENTREES.  103 

round  the  dish,  and  the  cutlets  against  it, 
with  the  croutons  of  aspic  to  form  the  outer 
edge.  The  centre  must  be  filled  with  a  Rus- 
sian salad,  in  this  case  stirred  up  with  very 
thick  mayonnaise,  instead  of  being  formally 
arranged.  The  mayonnaise  must  be  only 
suificient  to  dress  the  vegetables,  none  to  run 
into  the  other  materials,  and  beet-root  must 
be  added  last,  as  it  discolors  the  sauce  if 
stirred  up  in  it. 

ENTREES  OF  SWEETBREADS. 

Sweetbreads  a  la  Supreme.  —  Take  two 
plump  sweetbreads,  lay  them  an  hour  in 
strong  salt  and  water,  then  boil  them  for  ten 
minutes  in  fresh  water ;  put  them  between 
two  plates  to  flatten  till  cold.  Cut  off  all 
the  gristle  and  loose  skin  from  underneath ; 
put  them  to  stew  very  gently  in  half  a  pint 
of  good-flavored  stock.  Take  them  up,  drain 
well,  and  stew  them  in  half  a  pint  of  sauce 
supreme,  with  a  dozen  small  mushrooms,  for 
ten  minutes. 


104  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

Sweetbreads  with  Oysters. — Prepare  the 
SAveetbreads  as  in  the  foregoing  recipe,  quar- 
ter them,  and  put  them  in  a  stewpan  with  a 
gill  of  white  stock,  the  strained  liquor  from 
two  dozen  oysters,  a  salt  spoonful  of  salt,  a 
pinch  of  pepper,  and  a  suspicion  of  nutmeg. 
Put  two  ounces  of  butter  in  a  stewpan  over 
the  fire,  stir  into  it  one  tablespoonful  of  fine 
flour ;  let  them  bubble  together,  stirring  the 
while,  one  minute.  When  the  sweetbreads 
have  been  simmering  twenty  minutes,  pour 
the  gravy  from  them  to  the  sauce ;  stir  quick- 
ly till  smooth.  If  thicker  than  very  thick 
cream,  add  a  little  more  stock.  In  fi\Q 
minutes  add  the  oysters.  Keep  at  loiling- 
jpoint^  but  not  boiling,  till  the  oysters  are 
firm  and  plump.  Do  not  leave  them  in  the 
sauce  a  minute  beyond  this,  or  they  will  be- 
gin to  shrink.  Take  them  and  the  sweet- 
breads up,  and  if  the  sauce  is  too  thin  to  bear 
a  wineglass  of  cream,  boil  it  rapidly  down 
till  very  thick;  then  skim,  and  just  before 
pouring  over  the  sweetbreads  stir  in  a  wine- 


Ei^TKEES.  105 

glass  of  thick  cream.     If  it  goes  in  earlier  it 
may  curdle. 

It  has  been  explained  before,  but  I  repeat 
it  here,  that  there  must  never  be  too  much 
sauce,  however  good,  to  any  dish,  and  that 
the  consistency  is  most  important :  it  must 
be  thick  enough  to  mask  a  spoon,  yet  run 
from  it  freely.  ]N"othing  can  be  worse  than 
a  dab  of  white  mush  being  served  as  sauce, 
unless  it  be  a  quantity  of  thin,  milky  soup 
floating  on  every  plate.  This  is  where  the 
happy  medium  must  be  struck.  It  is  per- 
fectly easy  to  give  exact  proportions  to  pro- 
duce certain  degrees  of  thickness,  and  this 
has  been  done  in  the  chapters  on  sauces  ;  but 
where  these  sauces  are  used  as  a  medium  in 
which  to  cook,  for  instance,  sweetbreads,  a 
certain  amount  of  liquid  must  be  added  to 
prevent  burning.  Now  it  is  impossible  to 
say  how  fast  this  added  liquid  will  diminish 
if  the  simmering  is  as  slow  as  it  should  be, 
it  may  lose  hardly  at  all,  in  which  case  the 
articles  stewed  must  be  taken  out,  and  a  few 
minutes'  hard  boiling  given  to  evaporate  the 


106  CHOICE    COOKERY. 

liquid  and  bring  the  sauce  back  to  the  proper 
point. 

Sweetbreads  in  Cases. — Prepare  two  sweet- 
breads as  directed  in  the  foregoing  recipes. 
Put  them  in  a  stewpan  with  a  thin  shce  of 
fat  boiled  ham,  half  a  carrot,  half  a  turnip, 
and  a  small  onion,  all  cut  small,  and  laid  as 
a  bed  under  the  sweetbreads ;  put  in  a  gill  of 
broth,  a  bouquet  of  herbs,  and  half  a  salt- 
spoonful  of  salt,  with  a  pinch  of  pepper.  Let 
them  stew,  closely  covered,  one  hour,  turning 
them  after  the  first  half-hour.  When  done, 
take  them  up  and  drain  them.  When  cold, 
cover  w^ith  thick  d'Uxelles  sauce ;  sprinkle 
thickly  with  very  fine  bread  crumbs.  Make 
two  rough  paper  cases,  butter  each  liberally, 
and  very  carefully  lay  each  sweetbread  in 
one,  crumbed  side  uppermost.  Put  them  in 
a  quick  oven  till  pale  brown.  Have  ready 
proper  sweetbread  cases,  slip  them  neatly 
into  them,  and  serve. 

These  are  excellent  cold,  in  which  event 
they  should  not  be  shifted  from  the  rough 
case  until  ready  to  serve. 


XII. 

ON  THE  MANNER  OF  PREPARING  CROQUETTES,  CUT- 
LETS, KROMESKIES,  RISSOLES,  AND  CIGARETTES. 

Although  these  ever-popular  dishes  are  all 
or  may  all  be  prepared  from  one  mixture, 
there  is  a  difference  in  the  manner  of  using 
it  which  I  will  here  explain. 

Croquettes  are  made  from  a  soft  creamy 
mixture  chilled  on  ice  till  firm  enough  to 
mould,  then  simply  dipped  into  egg  and 
crumbs  and  fried  in  very  hot  fat. 

Cutlets  are  the  same  (of  course  fancy 
cutlets  are  meant,  not  the  French  chops,  so 
called),  only  they  are  shaped  to  imitate  a 
real  cutlet,  with  a  little  bone  inserted ;  or,  in 
the  case  of  lobster  cutlets,  a  small  claw  is 
used  to  simulate  the  chop  bone.  Many  only 
stick  a  sprig  of  parsley  where  the  bone  should 
be,  to  keep  up  the  fiction. 

Kromeskies  are  rolls  of  the  same  mixture 


108  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

enveloped  in  very  thin  slices  (hardly  thicker 
than  paper)  of  fat  larding  pork;  a  small 
toothpick  holds  the  pork  in  place.  The  rolls 
are  then  egged,  crumbed,  and  fried. 

Hissoles  are  the  same  thing,  only  rather 
easier  to  prepare,  being  rolled  in  very  thin 
pastry  instead  of  pork. 

Cigarettes^  the  newest  variation  of  the 
favorite  entree,  and  most  dainty  of  them  all 
in  appearance,  are  thin  rolls  of  croquette 
mixture  (or,  better  still,  quenelle  meat)  not 
thicker  than  a  small  cigar.  These  are  rolled 
in  pastry,  thoroughly  deadened,  pinched  very 
securely,  and  fried  a  very  pale  brown. 

As  the  manner  of  making  the  mixture  is 
about  the  same  for  all  kinds  of  meats,  fish, 
or  game,  varying  only  in  flavor — a  little 
Avine,  a  little  onion,  or  sweet  herbs  taking 
the  place  of  the  mushrooms  in  some  cases — 
I  will  give  exact  directions  for  making  sweet- 
bread cutlets ;  chicken,  game,  or  fish  may  be 
substituted  for  the  sweetbreads,  naming  them 
accordingly.    The  ham  may  always  be  omit- 


CUTLETS    OF   SWEETBREADS.  109 

ted  where  the  flavor  is  objected  to.  For  those 
who  like  it,  it  adds  very  much  to  sweetbreads, 
but  would  be  out  of  place  with  game,  which 
should  depend  on  its  own  individual  flavor. 

Cutlets  of  Sweetbreads.  —  Soak  a  pair  of 
sweetbreads  in  salt  and  water  for  an  hour — 
longer  if  there  is  much  blood  about  them ; 
then  cook  them  half  an  hour  in  stock.  Drain 
them  and  let  them  get  cold.  Trim  off  all 
superfluous  fat  and  gristle ;  chop  them  with 
one  ounce  of  lean  boiled  ham  to  each  pair  of 
large  sweetbreads,  and  half  a  can  of  mush- 
rooms, a  small  teaspoonful  of  salt,  the  sixth 
of  one  of  pepper.  Put  an  ounce  of  flour  in  a 
small  thick  saucepan  with  an  ounce  of  but- 
ter; stir  them  together  over  the  fire  until 
they  bubble ;  then  add  a  half -pint  of  liquid 
consisting  of  a  gill  of  stiff  jellied  stock  and  a 
gill  of  thick  cream;  stir  till  they  boil  and 
form  a  smooth  sauce;  mix  the  sweetbread 
mixture  with  the  sauce. 

The  mixture  should  be  a  soft,  creamy  mass, 
not  in  any  way  so  stiff  as  sausage-meat,  or  so 


110  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

as  to  remain  in  a  heap  without  spreading; 
when  poured  on  a  plate,  it  should  be  of  a 
consistency  that  will  slowly  settle,  yet  there 
must  not  be  any  liquid  whatever.  On  this 
question  of  consistency  depends  the  quality 
of  the  croquettes,  cutlets,  etc.,  made  from  it. 
If  too  stiff,  they  will  be  dry  and  only  a 
superior  sort  of  hash  ball.  What  you  have 
to  aim  at  is  a  croquette  or  cutlet  that  will 
ooze  out  of  the  thin  shell  of  ^gg  and  crumb 
when  pressed  with  a  fork.  Success  in  attain- 
ing this  can  always  be  secured  by  taking  care 
to  moisten  the  minced  meat  with  a  sauce 
made  of  very  stiff  jelly  in  the  proportion  of 
half  a  pint  of  liquid  (the  melted  jelly  and 
cream)  and  one  ounce  each  of  flour  and  but- 
ter. This  will  mix  a  pint  of  sweetbread  and 
mushrooms,  or  rather  less  of  dry  meat,  such 
as  the  breast  of  chicken,  veal,  etc. 

I  dwell  on  this  point  because  this  class  of 
entrees  is  always  popular,  and  if  the  consist- 
ency is  once  well  understood,  success  is  cer- 
tain to  follow. 


SWEETBREAD   CKOQUETTES.  HI 

When  the  mixture  is  poured  into  shallow 
dishes  or  plates,  a  piece  of  buttered  paper 
should  be  laid  over  them,  and  then  they 
should  be  placed  on  ice  until  quite  firm. 
When  ready,  cut  small  pieces  of  the  mixture, 
make  them  into  shapes  as  nearly  resembling 
a  French  chop  as  you  can,  using  a  very  little 
cracker  meal  should  they  stick  to  your  hands. 
Have  before  you  a  large  dish  of  cracker  meal 
and  the  yolks  of  two  eggs  beaten  ^vith  two 
small  tablespoonfuls  of  water,  cover  each 
cutlet  thoroughly  with  egg,  then  with  meal, 
gently  patting  them  to  make  the  meal  ad- 
here ;  insert  anything  you  please  to  repre- 
sent the  bone  (turkey  ribs  may  be  boiled 
white  and  kept  for  this  purpose).  Cutlets 
require  to  be  dropped  into  very  hot  fat,  and 
taken  up  within  two  minutes.  Consult  direc- 
tions for  frying  in  former  chapter. 

Sweetbread  croquettes  are  simply  made 
into  cork  or  pear  shapes,  never  large,  instead 
of  cutlets.  When  the  w^hite  meat  of  chicken 
replaces  half  the  sweetbread,  they  are  called 
Cutlets,  or  Croquettes,  a  la  Keine. 


112  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

Make  no  attempt  to  mould  croquettes  or 
cutlets  until  the  mixture  is  firm  enough  to 
cut ;  then  handle  very  quickly,  make  into 
proper  forms,  finish  them  either  as  cutlets  or 
what  you  wish,  and  let  them  remain  in  a  cokl 
place  for  an  hour  or  two  before  cooking ;  this 
last  direction  may  not  be  always  possible,  and 
to  an  expert  is  not  necessary,  but  when  time 
can  be  given  the  amateur  should  always  plan 
to  do  it. 

But  though  in  experienced  hands  it  is  pos- 
sible (though  not  so  easy)  to  make  croquettes 
and  fry  them  as  soon  as  breaded,  do  not  be 
led  to  believe  that  you  can  dispense  with 
putting  the  mixture  on  the  ice  the  first  time. 
I  remember  a  young  lady  who  was  very 
proud  of  her  croquettes  telling  me  she  never 
found  it  necessary  to  chill  the  mixture ;  she 
could  secure  perfect  shape  without.  I  asked 
to  see  the  process,  and  decided  in  my  own 
mind  that  she  must  go  widel}^  from  the  di- 
rections, and  have  her  material  as  stiff  as 
hash;  but  I  found  she  solved  the  difficulty 


BRAISED   SWEETBREADS.  113 

in  a  different  way:  she  simply  worked  in 
quantities  of  cracker  meal,  using  it  like  flour. 
Of  course  the  croquettes  ivere  spoiled,  al- 
though it  was  true  they  kept  their  shape, 
and  I  do  not  think  the  young  lady  realized 
at  all  that  she  was  changing  and  impover- 
ishing the  preparation  altogether. 

Braised  Sweetbreads.  —  Take  a  pair  of 
sweetbreads,  lay  in  salt  and  water  for  an 
hour,  then  blanch.  Press  slightly  between 
two  dishes ;  when  cold,  remove  all  skin,  fat, 
and  gristle ;  cut  up  very  fine  a  small  carrot, 
a  turnip,  and  an  onion ;  pat  them  in  a  stew- 
pan  with  the  sweetbreads,  pour  over  them  a 
pint  of  stock,  lay  a  piece  of  buttered  paper 
over  them,  and  braise  carefully  for  half  an 
hour.  Take  them  out  of  the  stewpan,  put 
them  in  a  small  meat-pan,  boil  the  liquor 
rapidly  a  couple  of  minutes,  then  baste  the 
sweetbreads  w4th  it  several  times ;  put  them 
in  a  quick  oven  to  brown  ;  serve  on  slices  of 
fried  bread,  pour  half  a  pint  of  Spanish  sauce 
round,  and  garnish  with  mushrooms. 
8 


114 


CHOICE   COOKERY. 


Tartlettes  of  Chicken. — Cut  six  ounces  of 
the  breast  of  a  cooked  chicken  into  very 
small  pieces,  chop  up  one  truffle,  twelve 
mushrooms,  and  two  ounces  of  lean  boiled 
ham;  stir  them  into  a  gill  of  white  sauce. 
Butter  thickly  nine  dariole  moulds,  line  them 
neatly  with  quenelle  meat,*  of  which  you 
w411  require  half  a  pound,  fill  the  centre  care- 
fully with  the  mixed  chicken,  cover  the  top 
carefully  with  quenelle  meat,  and  steam  for 
twenty  minutes ;  dish  on  a  circle  of  spinach, 
pour  bechamel  sauce  over  and  round,  fill  the 
centre  of  the  dish  with  peas  or  mixed  vege- 
tables. 

Chicken  d  la  Holla/ndaise. — Take  out  the 
breast-bone  of  a  large  young  fowl,  and  fill  the 
space  with  the  following  force-meat :  half  a 
pint  of  fine  bread-crumbs,  an  ounce  and  a 
half  of  butter,  a  small  boiled  onion  chopped, 
and  a  dozen  03'^sters  cut  into  small  pieces ;  a 
saltspoonf ul  of  salt,  a  pinch  of  pepper ;  bind 

*  See  directions  in  No,  IV. 


CHICKEN    A    LA    HOLLANDAISE.  115 

together  with  an  egg,  sew  up  the  fowl,  and 
truss  for  roasting.  Make  a  nice  batter,  as 
for  fine  fritters,  and  when  the  fowl  has  been 
in  the  oven  half  an  hour,  pour  part  of  the 
batter  over  it ;  when  dry  and  beginning  to 
brown,  pour  more,  until  it  is  thickly  coated 
and  a  nice  brown ;  baste  often ;  cut  up  the 
chicken,  and  serve  with  AUemande  sauce  and 
lemon. 


XIII. 

PATTIES. 

The  directions  for  making  one  kind  will 
serve  for  patties  generally.  In  cities  the 
cases  are  very  easily  bought,  but  where  they 
have  to  be  made  at  home,  only  one  who  is 
already  an  expert  in  making  puif -paste  should 
attempt  them. 

Patties  w^hen  served  as  an  entree  should 
be  quite  small,  or  half  of  them  will  certainly 
be  left  on  the  plates. 

Roll  puif -paste  a  quarter  of  an  inch  thick 
for  each  patty,  cut  three  circles  from  it, 
moisten  the  surface  of  two  very  slightly 
with  water,  place  one  on  the  other,  then  with 
a  sharp  penknife  cut  a  circle  nearly  through 
the  third  round,  leaving  a  margin  of  one 
third  of  an  inch  ;  lay  this  round  carefully  on 
the  other  two ;  brush  the  top  with  white  of 


PATTIES.  117 

egg  (be  sure  not  to  touch  the  sides),  and 
bake  in  a  very  quick  oven.  Patties  must 
be  watched,  and  turned  if  they  show  signs 
of  rising  unevenly.  When  they  are  a  fine 
yellow-brown  take  them  out,  and  leave  five 
minutes  for  them  to  cool  slightly,  then  with 
a  penknife  or  a  boning -knife  carefully  re- 
move the  top  formed  by  the  smaller  circle 
you  marked,  and  which  (if  the  paste  was 
very  light  and  the  oven  in  good  condition) 
will  probably  have  risen  out  of  the  centre. 
Be  careful  in  handling  these  covers,  for 
while  warm  they  are  very  brittle.  With  a 
coffee-spoon  remove  the  half-cooked  dough 
from  the  centre  of  the  patty,  taking  care, 
however,  to  leave  sufficient  thickness  of  in- 
ner crust  to  prevent  the  sauce  from  oozing 
through. 

The  filling  for  patties  can  be  made  before 
it  is  needed ;  but  when  that  is  done,  it  must 
be  made  quite  hot  before  it  is  put  into  the 
cases,  as,  if  it  were  put  in  cold,  the  pastry 
would  burn  before  the  inside  became  warm. 


118  CHOICE   COOKERr. 

Dresden  Patty  Cases. — These  make  a  very 
pretty  kind  of  patty  when  puff-paste  is  not 
to  be  had,  and  even  when  it  is  are  a  desira- 
ble variety.  They  are  made  from  fine  hght 
baker's  bread.  Cut  slices  an  inch  and  a  half 
thick,  then  with  a  biscuit  cutter  about  two 
inches  in  diameter  cut  circles  from  these 
slices,  and  with  another  cutter,  a  size  smaller, 
press  half-way  through  each.  You  will  now 
have  pieces  of  bread  the  size  and  shape  of 
patties.  Beat  four  eggs ;  mix  with  a  pint 
of  milk  and  a  saltspoonful  of  salt ;  pour  this 
into  a  shallow  pan,  and  stand  the  bread  pat- 
ties in  it.  The  amount  of  milk  and  eggs 
must  of  course  depend  on  the  number  of 
patties ;  the  proportion  named  is  enough  for 
six  small  ones.  The  patties  must  remain 
steeping  until  they  are  thoroughly  soaked  ; 
they  must  be  carefully  turned  upside  down 
when  the  lower  part  is  sufficiently  steeped. 
The  time  required  will  depend  on  the  quality 
of  the  bread,  but  one  hour  will  generally 
suffice.     The  bread  must  be  thoroughly  pen- 


PATTIES.  119 

etrated  bj  the  custard,  be  almost  as  moist  as 
mush,  yet  be  in  no  danger  (with  careful  hand- 
ling) of  breaking.  When  sufficiently  steeped, 
take  each  one  on  a  cake  turner  and  lay  it  on 
a  drainer.  (They  may  be  prepared  some 
hours  before  they  are  needed  for  cooking.) 
When  quite  drained,  baste  each  one  carefully 
with  beaten  egg  till  every  part  is  coated, 
then  smother  it  in  cracker  meal.  Gently  pat 
it  to  make  it  adhere,  then  slip  the  patty  on 
to  a  dish  till  you  are  ready  to  fry.  Do  not 
attempt  to  move  the  patties  with  the  hand 
or  a  spoon,  but  with  a  flat  skimmer  or  cake 
turner. 

When  prepared  as  directed,  make  three 
pounds  of  lard  very  hot  in  a  deep  frying-ket- 
tle,*  place  three  of  the  patties  on  a  fine  w^ire 
frying-basket,  and  fry  brown.  The  fat  should 
be  excessively  hot,  as  the  patties,  being  full 
of  cold  custard,  will  not  burn,  and  will  rapid- 
ly cool  it.     They  should  be  a  delicate  brown 

*  See  full  directions  for  fi'ying  in  No.  X. 


120  CHOICE    COOKERY. 

in  six  or  seven  minutes.  Let  the  fat  come 
back  to  the  original  intense  heat  before  put- 
ting in  the  other  patties.  When  they  are 
fried,  remove  the  centre  you  marked  with 
the  smaller  cutter  with  a  sharp  thin  knife 
and  small  teaspoon,  leaving  the  sides  about 
half  an  inch  -thick.  They  are  now  ready  to 
fill.  If  the  patties  are  just  right,  the  inside 
you  remove  should  be  of  a  custard-like  text- 
ure, not  like  sopped  bread  :  indeed,  in  eating 
them,  the  bread  should  not  be  easily  detected. 
These  patties  are  very  delicious  filled  with 
any  of  the  usual  fillings,  or,  for  dessert,  with 
stiff  preserve.  They  have  no  covers,  conse- 
quently the  filling  should  be  piled  high  with- 
out allowing  the  sauce  to  run  over,  and  gar- 
nished with  parsley  or  water-cress. 

Sweetbread  Patties. — Soak  two  very  white 
sweetbreads  in  salt  and  water  one  hour ;  par- 
boil for  twenty  minutes  ;  then  let  them  cool ; 
remove  the  skin,  fat,  and  gristle ;  cut  them 
into  half -inch  dice,  and  lay  them  aside  while 
you  prepare  the  following  sauce :  Put  a  gill 


PATTIES.  121 

of  strong  white  stock  into  a  small  saucepan 
with  a  gill  of  mushroom  liquor  (and  a  dozen 
small  mushrooms  cut  in  four  if  approved)  to 
boil.  In  another  saucepan  cook  an  ounce  of 
flour  and  one  of  butter  together,  stirring  till 
they  bubble ;  pour  the  two  gills  of  stock 
quickly  to  it,  and  stir  till  smooth.  Season 
with  half  a  teaspoonful  of  salt  and  very  lit- 
tle pepper;  lay  in  the  sweetbreads,  and  let 
them  stew  twenty  minutes.  Strain  them  off 
from  the  sauce,  which  boil  down  (stirring 
constantly  to  prevent  burning)  till  very  thick; 
then  add  a  gill  of  thick  fresh  cream.  The 
sauce  should  now  be  thick  enough  to  mask 
the  spoon  very  heavily ;  pour  it  over  the 
sweetbreads,  and  stir  together.  This  is  now 
ready  for  filling  the  patties.  If  mushrooms 
are  not  liked  they  may  be  omitted,  the  liq- 
uor replaced  by  a  gill  of  stock  and  a  tea- 
spoonful  of  white  wine. 

Oyster  Patties. — Take  a  dozen  and  a  half 
Blue  Points,  scald  them  in  their  own  liquor, 
but  do  not  leave  them  a  moment  after  they 


123  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

reacli  the  boiling-point;  strain,  the  liquor 
from  them ;  cut  each  oyster  in  four.  Put  a 
tablespoonful  of  flour  and  one  of  butter  into 
a  small  saucepan  over  the  fire,  stir  them  to- 
gether until  they  bubble ;  then  pour  to  them 
half  a  pint  of  the  strained  liquor  of  the  oys- 
ters, or  part  liquor  and  part  stock.  Stir  con- 
tinually, and  let  the  sauce  boil  yery  thick ; 
then  lay  in  the  oysters,  and  simmer  half  a 
minute.  The  amount  of  seasoning  required 
will  depend  on  the  saltness  of  the  oysters, 
but  a  saltspoonful  of  salt  will  probably  not 
be  too  much,  a  little  pepper,  and  a  teaspoon- 
ful  of  essence  of  anchovies — just  enough  to 
make  the  sauce  a  delicate  salmon-color.  For 
the  last  thing,  stir  in  one  small  teaspoonful 
of  lemon  juice.  The  consistency  of  the  sauce 
for  all  patties  should  be  that  of  very  thick 
double  cream.  When  it  is  not  thick  enough, 
it  can  always  be  reduced  by  boiling  down, 
taking  care  not  to  boil  the  meat  or  oysters, 
etc.,  in  it. 

Chicken  Patties. — Take  the  breast  of  a 


PATTIES.  123 

boiled  chicken,  cut  it  into  dice ;  use  half  a 
pint  of  the  liquor  in  which  it  was  boiled  to 
make  the  sauce.  Put  this  broth  in  a  small 
saucepan  with  a  teaspoonful  of  lean  boiled 
ham  chopped  a  little  (take  care  there  is  not 
a  particle  of  the  outside  of  the  ham,  or  it  may 
impart  a  smoky  flavor) ;  let  the  ham  simmer 
in  the  broth  while  you  melt  together  a  table- 
spoonful  of  flour  and  one  of  butter;  when 
they  bubble,  and  the  broth  has  been  boiled 
down  to  about  one  half,  strain  the  latter  into 
a  half-pint  measure,  fill  up  with  cream,  and 
stir  this  quickly  to  the  flour  and  butter. 
When  the  sauce  is  thick  and  smooth,  put  in 
the  chicken;  keep  the  mixture  at  boiling- 
point  Hyq  minutes,  then  set  the  saucepan  in 
another  of  boiling  water,  and  stir  in  the 
beaten  yolks  of  two  eggs  ;  only  just  let  them 
thicken ;  then  remove  from  the  fire,  and  use 
for  filling  the  patty  cases.  A  teaspoonful  of 
sherry  is  often  added  to  the  sauce.  If  this 
filling  is  not  used  while  hot,  it  must  be  re- 
heated in  a  double  boiler  and  Avatched,  or 


124  CHOICE   COOKEKY. 

the  eggs  will  curdle ;  or  the  filling  may  be 
prepared  and  the  eggs  added  after  it  is  re- 
heated. 

Bouchees  of  any  kind  are  simply  patties 
made  very  small  indeed — for  this  reason  the 
filling  is  always  cliopped  instead  of  being  cut 
into  dice. 

The  essence  of  anchovy  mentioned  is  a 
most  useful  sauce  for  fish,  and  can  be  bought 
at  any  large  grocery. 


xiy. 

ENTREES. 

In  an  earlier  chapter  I  gave  directions  for 
quenelles  as  an  adjunct  to  soups  and  for 
garnishing.  Used  in  this  way,  they  are  only 
a  revival  of  an  old  French  fashion,  coarsely 
imitated  in  the  benighted  days  of  Anglo- 
Saxon  cookery  by  the  English  "force-meat 
balls."  Lately,  however,  not  only  are  que- 
nelles a  great  feature  in  high-class  cookery 
as  additions  to  made  dishes,  but  they  are  a 
most  fashionable  and  delicious  entree,  and 
replace  with  great  advantage  the  too-fre- 
quent croquette. 

To  prepare  quenelle  meat  for  entrees. 

Mode  No.  1. — To  make  quenelle  meat,  a 
mortar  is  indispensable,  as  it  must  be  pounded 
to  a  pulp  that  will  go  through  a  sieve,  and  I 
have  known  a  persevering  woman  grate  the 


126  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

breast  of  chicken  on  a  large  grater,  but  this 
is  very  slow  work.  Take  the  white  meat 
from  a  large,  young,  uncooked  chicken,  and  re- 
move all  skin,  fat,  and  sinew.  Melt  together 
over  the  fire  a  scant  tablespoonf  ul  of  butter 
and  one  of  flour ;  when  they  are  thick  and 
smooth^  stir  in  a  gill  of  boiling  water  quick- 
ly. This  should  now  be  a  thick  paste ;  put 
it  away  to  cool.  Take  half  as  much  butter 
as  you  have  of  chicken,  and  half  the  quanti- 
ty of  paste  (technically  called  panada)  that 
you  have  of  butter.  Put  the  paste  into  a 
mortar;  pound  it  well;  add  the  butter; 
pound  again  till  smooth;  add  the  chicken, 
cut  up  very  small,  and  pound  until  the  w^hole 
forms  a  smooth  pulp.  Add  one  whole  egg 
and  the  yolks  of  three,  the  third  of  a  salt- 
spoonful  of  white  pepper  (salt  must  depend 
on  w^hether  the  butter  seasons  sufficiently). 
Work  all  well  together,  stir  in  half  a  gill  of 
thick  cream,  and  pass  the  whole  through  a 
wire  sieve.  Put  the  whole  on  ice  to  get 
firm.     The  quenelles  should  be  about  the 


ENTEEES.  127 

size  of  a  small  egg  flattened;  shape  with 
two  tablespoons  dipped  in  flour.  Have 
ready  a  frying-pan  with  boiling  water  in 
which  is  a  saltspoonful  of  salt,  lay  each 
quenelle  carefully  in,  and  poach  for  ten  min- 
utes. The  water  must  boil  very  gently. 
Drain  on  a  sieve ;  serve  with  mushroom  or 
tomato  sauce.  Have  a  little  dried  parsley 
and  grated  tongue  or  ham,  and  scatter  alter- 
nately on  each  quenelle. 

Ifode  JVo.  2. — One  pound  of  lean  veal  cut- 
let ;  pound  it  thoroughly  in  a  mortar ;  then 
rub  it  through  a  sieve,  or  it  may  be  forced 
{after  it  is  pounded)  through  a  vegetable 
strainer.  Steep  a  pound  of  bread  crumb  in 
tepid  water ;  wring  it  in  a  cloth  to  get  rid 
of  the  moisture ;  put  it  in  a  stewpan  with  a 
tablespoonful  of  butter  and  a  pinch  of  salt. 
Stir  it  over  the  fire  until  it  ceases  to  stick  to 
the  pan  and  forms  a  smooth  paste.  Place  it 
between  two  plates  to  cool.  This  is  called 
bread  panada.  Put  into  a  mortar  twelve 
ounces  of  the  prepared  veal,  six  ounces  of 


138  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

fresh  butter,  and  eight  ounces  of  the  panada. 
Pound  all  well  together;  mix  in  gradually 
one  whole  egg,  two  tablespoonfuls  of  thick 
cream,  and  the  yolks  of  four  more  eggs,  a 
scant  teaspoonful  of  salt,  and  a  quarter-salt- 
spoonful  of  pepper.  When  this  is  all  pound- 
ed into  a  smooth,  compact  mass,  put  it  into  a 
bo\yl  and  place  it  on  ice  until  required  for 
use.  Mould  and  poach  as  described  in  last 
recipe. 

Great  care  is  required  in  cooking  quenelles, 
as  if  they  are  overdone  they  become  tough ; 
ten  minutes  is  enough  for  those  the'  size  of  a 
small  egg.  Before  moulding  the  w^hole, 
poach  a  small  one,  break  it  open,  and  ascer- 
tain if  it  is  smooth,  light,  yet  firm.  They 
should  melt  in  the  mouth.  If  they  are  at 
all  tough,  add  a  little  more  cream  to  the 
mixture,  unless  the  toughness  comes  from 
over-boiling,  Tvhich  you  must  guard  against. 
Yery  elaborate  quenelles  are  made  with  a 
core  of  dark  meat,  made  by  chopping  up 
ham,  tongue,  or  truffles  very  fine,  and  insert- 


I 


ENTREES.  129 

ing  it  in  the  centre  while  forming  the  que- 
nelles. Always  serve  quenelles  with  tomato, 
mushroom,  or  rich  Spanish  sauce.  Dish  in 
a  circle,  and  fill  the  centre  with  spinach, 
green  peas,  or  a  macedoine  of  mixed  veg- 
etables. 

The  mode  of  preparing  all  quenelles  is  by 
one  of  the  two  methods  just  given,  but  they 
may  be  made  of  any  kind  of  game,  or  the 
backs  of  hares  or  rabbits.  Quenelles  of  salm- 
on, lobster,  or  other  fish  must  of  course  be 
served  with  appropriate  fish  sauce. 

Timhale  of  Chicken  a  la  Chamj^enois. — 
Chop  a  small  slice  of  lean  boiled  ham,  weigh- 
ing about  two  ounces,  put  into  a  saucepan 
with  four  chopped  mushrooms,  four  truffles, 
and  an  ounce  of  butter ;  stir  in  a  moderate 
dessertspoonful  of  corn -starch  and  half  a 
pint  of  stock  and  a  gill  of  sherry;  let  this 
slowly  simmer  until  reduced  to  one  half. 
Skim  off  the  fat,  then  stir  in  the  finely 
chopped  breast  of  a  large  chicken  or  of 
two  small  ones,  six  small  pickled  gherkins, 
9 


130  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

a  sprig  of  parsley,  and  six  anchovies  which 
have  been  soaked  in  milk.  Make  all  hot 
over  a  slow  fire,  but  do  not  let  them  boil. 
Line  a  mould  with  light  puff -paste,  pour 
the  mixture  into  it,  and  bake  one  hour ;  turn 
out  and  serve  very  hot.  Garnish  with  fried 
parsley. 

Scallops  of  Chicken  a  la  Perigord. — This 
dish  may  conveniently  be  made  when  the 
white  meat  of  chicken  is  required  for  other 
purposes. 

Bone  the  legs  of  two  large  cliickens ;  take 
half  a  pound  of  veal,  a  quarter  of  a  pound  of 
fat  salt  pork ;  pound  both  in  a  mortar,  then 
pass  through  a  sieve ;  add  to  this  two  table- 
spoonfuls  of  minced  tongue,  six  truffles,  and 
half  a  dozen  button  mushrooms,  the  yolks  of 
two  eggs,  a  saltspoonf ul  of  salt,  and  a  vo^y 
little  cayenne.  Mix  well.  Stuff  the  legs  of 
the  fowls  with  this.  Sewing  them  up  neat- 
ly, wrap  each  up  in  buttered  paper;  put 
them  in  a  stewpan  with  two  ounces  of  but- 
ter and  a  carrot,  turnip,  and  small  onion  cut 


ENTEEES.  131 

up ;  add  three  quarters  of  a  pint  of  brown 
stock.  Put  the  stewpan  in  the  oven,  baste 
well,  and  cook  gently  one  hour.  When 
cooked,  have  ready  a  mound  of  spinach. 
Take  a  1)67']/  sharp  knife,  cut  the  legs  in 
slices  so  as  to  make  circles  like  slices  of  sau- 
sage; strain  off  the  gravy.  Cook  together 
a  dessertspoonful  of  butter  and  flour;  when 
they  bubble,  pour  the  strained  gravy  to  it, 
with  a  gill  of  sherry  and  a  little  salt  and 
pepper ;  stir  till  smooth  ;  boil  till  as  thick  as 
cream.  Dress  the  scallops  of  chicken  in  a 
circle  round  the  spinach,  pour  the  sauce 
round  all,  and  insert  bits  of  truffle  and  of 
tongue  between  the  scallops. 

Chicken  Souffle. — Pound  three  ounces  of 
the  white  meat  of  cooked  chicken  as  fine  as 
possible ;  mix  with  it  half  a  pint  of  cream 
and  three  well  beaten  eggs,  a  few  button 
mushrooms  finely  chopped,  a  saltspoonful 
of  salt,  a  sixth  of  one  of  pepper,  a  dust  of 
cayenne,  and  a  speck  of  po wdered^nace.  Pour 
the  mixture  in  a  well  -  buttered  mould,  tie 


132  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

a  cloth  over  it,  and  steam  it  half  an  hoar. 
It  must  stand  quite  upright  in  the  steam- 
er. Turn  out  on  a  hot  dish,  and  pour  any 
rich  brown  sauce  preferred  around  it.  This 
souffle  may  be  made  of  sweetbreads,  or  half 
and  half.  If  individual  souffles  are  preferred, 
butter  as  many  dariole  moulds  as  the  mixt- 
ure will  fill;  lay  at  the  bottom  of  each 
something  by  way  of  garnish — a  little  star 
or  disk  of  tongue  or  ham  for  some,  of  truf- 
fle for  others,  of  green  gherkin  for  others — 
so  that  when  turned  out  the  top  of  the  souf- 
fles will  show  spots  of  color.  Half  fill  the 
moulds,  and  steam  twenty  minutes. 

Souffles  of  all  kinds  depend  for  excellence 
on  being  served  the  moment  they  are  ready, 
and  on  the  steam  being  kept  up  all  the  time 
they  are  cooking.  When  baked  the  oven 
must  be  very  steady. 

Fritot  of  Chicken. — Take  a  cold  chicken, 
cut  it  into  small  neat  joints,  season  rather 
highly  with  salt  and  pepper,  strew  over 
them  a  small  grated  onion  (or  one  very 


ENTKEES.  133 

finely  chopped),  and  a  dessertspoonful  of 
chopped  parsley.  Cover  them  with  oil,  and 
then  squeeze  over  them  the  juice  of  a  lemon. 
Turn  the  pieces  now  and  then,  and  let  them 
remain  until  they  have  absorbed  the  flavor. 
Meanwhile  make  a  batter  of  four  table- 
spoonfuls  of  flour  and  about  eight  of  milk, 
or  as  much  as  will  make  a  thick  smooth  bat- 
ter ;  stir  into  it  a  wineglass  of  brandy  and 
an  egg,  the  whole  beaten  to  a  high  froth. 
Leave  this  batter  in  a  warm  place  an  hour 
before  using,  dip  the  pieces  of  chicken  into 
it,  and  fry  in  very  hot,  deep  fat.  Serve  piled 
high  on  a  dish  garnished  with  fried  parsley. 


xy. 

ENTREES.—  Continued. 

Cigarettes  d  la  Heine. — These  are  the  new- 
est development  of  the  rissole  and  croquette. 
They  require  strict  attention  to  details  to  se- 
cure perfect  form.  EoU  puff -paste  a  quarter 
of  an  inch  thick ;  prick  it  all  over — this  is  to 
deaden  it ;  roll  it  now  till  it  is  no  thicker  than 
cartridge-paper.  Cut  it  with  a  sharp  knife 
dipped  in  flour  into  strips  about  two  inches 
and  a  half  wide  and  about  the  length  of  a 
cigar ;  lay  on  each  strip  a  roll  of  chicken  que- 
nelle meat  that  is  very  firm,  and  the  roll  not 
thicker  than  a  lady's  slender  forefinger ;  be 
careful  that  the  meat  reaches  nearly  the  w^hole 
length  of  the  paste,  yet  leaves  a  margin  for 
closing,  as  the  least  oozing  will  spoil  the  ap- 
pearance. Moisten  the  edges  of  the  paste  all 
round  with  white  of  egg ;  fold  the  paste  over 
half  an  inch ;  be  very  careful  to  see  that  it 


ENTREES.  135 

adheres  thoroughly;  then  pinch  the  ends. 
Eoll  them  gently  with  a  cool  hand  on  the 
floured  board  to  round  them  without  pres- 
sure, taper  off  the  ends  cigar  fashion.  If 
they  are  softening,  lay  them  on  a  floured 
plate  on  ice  to  get  firm ;  then  roll  them  in 
egg  and  very  finely  sifted  cracker  meal.  You 
may  roll  or  improve  the  shape,  if  there  is  any 
irregularity,  while  crumbing  them.  Remem- 
ber what  you  aim  to  imitate  is  a  cigar.  The 
great  danger  for  the  first  time  is  getting  them 
too  large ;  they  must  therefore  be  very  slen- 
der. Fry  in  deep  fat  just  as  rissoles ;  serve 
on  a  napkin,  log-house  fashion.  These  dain- 
ties, as  will  have  been  seen,  have  a  large 
amount  of  butter,  and  soften  in  a  warm 
room;  they  must  therefore  be  made  in  a 
cold  room,  and  if  set  on  ice  some  hours  be- 
fore cooking  will  be  much  easier  to  fry  with- 
out bending  or  twisting. 

Cigarettes  d  la  Chasseur  are,  as  the  name 
indicates,  made  of  game,  in  exactly  the  same 
way  as  the  last  recipe. 


136  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

Lobster  Quenelles. — Prepare  with  bread  pa- 
nada as  directed  for  quenelle  meat.  Poach 
and  drain  them.  Then  dish  in  a  circle  with 
thick  Hollandaise  sauce  in  the  centre  and 
round  them. 

Chicken^  Tartle  Fashion. — This  requires  a 
pullet  or  young  hen  about  six  months  old. 
Bone  the  bird ;  stuff  with  a  force-meat  made 
of  four  parts  minced  veal,  two  parts  chopped 
hard  eggs,  a  half  part  lean  boiled  ham,  two 
parts  mushrooms,  and  two  parts  ^a^6^  defoie 
gras.  First  make  the  veal  and  ham  hot  in 
a  little  butter,  then  add  the  mushrooms  and 
faie  gras  ;  moisten  with  stock  or  mushroom 
liquor,  and  gently  simmer  five  minutes.  Stir 
in  two  beaten  yolks  of  eggs  and  a  teaspoon- 
ful  of  lemon  juice.  Season  with  a  saltspoon- 
f ul  of  salt,  a  quarter  one  of  w^hite  pepper, 
and  a  tiny  pinch  of  nutmeg,  grated.  Stuff 
the  fowl  with  this  mixture ;  sew  it  up  with 
trussing-needle  and  string;  turn  the  skin  of 
the  neck  half  over  the  head,  and  cut  off  part 
of  the  comb,  which  gives  the  appearance  of 


ENTREES.  137 

the  turtle's  head.  Scald  and  skin  four  chick- 
ens' feet;  cut  off  the  claws,  and  insert  two 
where  the  wings  ought  to  be  and  two  in  the 
thighs,  so  as  to  look  like  turtles'  feet.  Put 
in  a  stewpan  a  tablespoonful  of  chopped 
boiled  ham,  an  onion,  and  a  small  carrot  cut 
up,  with  a  tablespoonful  of  butter ;  let  them 
brown  very  slightly,  add  half  a  pint  of  stock, 
skim  it,  lay  the  fowl  in  this  stock,  and  stew 
gently  for  an  hour  and  a  half  to  two  hours, 
or  even  longer,  according  to  size.  When  quite 
tender  take  up  the  fowl,  cut  and  remove  the 
string  with  which  it  is  sewn,  lay  it  on  its 
back  on  a  dish,  garnish  the  breast  with  sliced 
truffles  cut  in  fancy  shapes,  place  a  crawfish 
tail  to  represent  the  turtle's  tail.  When  eat- 
en hot  serve  veloute  sauce.  This  is  an  excel- 
lent dish  cold  garnished  with  aspic. 

Baked  Bavioli. — Four  ounces  of  veal,  six 
ounces  of  butter,  three  ounces  of  lean  sau- 
sage-meat, a  teaspoonful  of  mixed  sweet 
herbs,  a  little  salt  and  pepper.  Pound  all  in 
a  mortar;  when  smooth,  pound  separately 


138  CHOICE  COOKERY. 

a  gill  of  spinacli  that  has  been  boiled  till  just 
tender  without  losing  color,  and  a  quarter  of  a 
pound  of  cream  cheese  or  rich  cottage  cheese, 
which  must  be  squeezed  in  a  cloth  to  remove 
all  the  milk.  When  smooth,  pound  all  togeth- 
er, and  stir  in  the  yolks  of  two  eggs.  Make 
some  pastry  with  half  a  pound  of  butter, 
three  quarters  of  a  pound  of  flour,  and  the 
yolks  of  two  eggs;  mix  stiff,  and  roll  till 
about  as  thick  as  a  fifty-cent  piece.  Cut  the 
paste  in  two  parts.  Take  a  medium-sized 
biscuit-cutter,  mark  half  as  many  circles  on 
one  half  the  paste  as  you  wish  ravioli.  Lay 
in  the  centre  of  each  circle  a  mound  of  the 
force-meat  —  perhaps  a  large  teaspoonful, 
only  be  careful  to  leave  a  quarter-inch  mar- 
gin all  round.  Moisten  this  margin  with  a 
camel's-hair  brush  dipped  in  white  of  egg ; 
lay  the  second  half  of  the  pastry  over  these 
mounds ;  press  the  cutter  on  each  to  trim 
them,  and  you  have  a  number  of  little  round 
patties ;  press  the  edges  together  very  well  by 
curving  the  little  finger  round  them.     Have 


ENTKEES.  139 

some  rich  stock  boiling  in  a  stewpan ;  poach 
the  ravioli  five  minutes.  Take  them  up,  drain 
them  well,  arrange  them  in  a  fire-proof  gratin 
dish,  sprinkle  them  over  with  grated  Parme- 
san cheese,  pour  in  a  very  little  stock,  and 
bake  brown  in  the  oven. 

Veal  Cutlets  a  la  Primrose. — Take  a  pound 
of  veal  cutlet ;  cut  it  up  into  small  cutlets  the 
size  of  a  dollar,  and  perfectly  round.  Put 
two  ounces  of  butter  (which  has  been  first 
melted  to  let  the  curd  separate)  into  a  sauce- 
pan, with  three  onions,  two  ounces  of  bacon 
cut  into  small  dice,  a  bouquet  of  herbs  (in- 
cluding bay-leaf).  Fry,  stirring  frequently, 
for  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  then  add  a  table- 
spoonful  of  corn-starch,  a  dessertspoonful  of 
Tarragon  vinegar,  and  a  pint  of  strong  stock. 
Let  all  simmer  very  gentl}^  for  about  one 
hour.  Take  up  the  cutlets,  strain  the  gravy 
and  pour  it  over  them,  then  sprinkle  with  a 
tablespoonf  ul  of  grated  tongue,  and  the  same 
quantity  of  parsley  dried  and  crumbled  small. 
Chicken  may  also  be  cooked  in  this  way. 


140  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

Quails  a  la  Lucullus. — This,  as  its  name 
implies,  is  a  most  expensive  and  luxurious 
way  of  serving  these  dainty  birds,  yet  by 
management  the  livers  of  chickens  may  be 
saved  a  day  or  two  by  scalding  them,  and 
the  opportunity  taken  when  several  are  re- 
quired for  general  use  during  a  week.  Eone 
very  carefully  six  or  eight  quails.  Cut  up 
three  ounces  of  unsmoked  bacon,  put  it  in  a 
saute  pan,  let  it  cook  five  minutes,  then  add 
the  livers,  a  shallot  sliced,  a  small  bouquet, 
twelve  white  peppercorns,  six  cloves,  a  salt- 
spoonful  of  salt.  Let  all  cook  carefully  ten 
minutes:  nothing  must  burn  or  get  very 
brown.  When  cooked,  pound  well  in  a  mor- 
tar, pass  through  a  sieve,  then  add  three  truf- 
fles chopped  ;  stuff  each  quail  into  shape,  but- 
ter some  paper  cases  known  as  "  quail  cases," 
put  a  quail  into  each  case,  a  few  drops  of  olive 
oil  on  each  breast.  Then  put  them  in  a  quick 
oven  for  ten  minutes  or  a  quarter  of  an  hour. 
For  the  gravy,  put  the  bones  of  the  quails  in 
a  stewpan,  add  a  tablespoonf ul  of  glaze  and 


ENTEEES.  141 

a  gill  of  brown  sauce,  with  one  tablespoon- 
ful  of  water.  Simmer  till  the  gravy  is  well 
flavored  from  the  bones,  then  strain,  and  add 
two  tablespoonfuls  of  chopped  truffles  and 
half  a  gill  of  sherry.  Put  one  tablespoonful 
of  this  sauce  over  each  quail  before  sending 
it  to  the  table,  after  very  carefully  draining 
all  grease  from  the  quails.  These  are  served 
in  the  papers,  but  rough  paper  cases  may  be 
made  to  bake  them  in,  and  the  regular  crimped 
ones  set  in  the  oven  to  get  hot  just  before 
dishing  up.  Slip  the  quails  into  them  after 
draining. 

Quails  a  la  Jubilee, — Bone  as  many  birds 
as  required.  Lard  them  with  pork  and  thin 
strips  of  truffles.  Stuff  them  in  shape  Avith 
equal  parts  of  sweetbreads  and  oysters,  sew 
them  up ;  roll  them  in  buttered  paper,  and 
cook  in  the  oven  in  enough  Chablis  to  cover 
them.  Pound  some  boiled  potatoes  and  wa- 
ter-cresses together  until  thoroughly  blend- 
ed ;  put  a  tablespoonful  of  butter  in  a  sauce- 
pan with  one  of  milk ;  put  in  the  potato,  stir 


142  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

round  till  quite  hot ;  use  this  to  make  a  bor- 
der on  which  to  serve  the  quails.  When  they 
have  cooked  fifteen  to  twenty  minutes,  take 
them  up,  glaze  them  (melt  glaze  in  a  cup 
standing  in  hot  water,  and  brush  them  over). 
Lay  them  on  the  potato  border,  and  pour 
into  the  centre  some  Spanish  sauce  with 
mushrooms  in  Avhich  has  been  boiled  a  slice 
of  lemon. 


XYI. 

E^TKEES.— Continued. 

Pigeon  Cutlets. — Take  half  a  dozen  young 
pigeons,  split  them  down  the  back,  and  bone 
them,  all  but  the  leg,  cutting  off  the  wings 
at  the  second  joint.  Cut  each  bird  in  two 
down  the  breast ;  trim  off  all  ragged  edges, 
so  that  each  half -bird  has  as  much  as  possi- 
ble the  appearance  of  a  cutlet,  the  leg  serv- 
ing for  the  bone.  Saute  these  cutlets,  hav- 
ing seasoned  them  with  pepper  and  salt,  for 
three  minutes  in  hot  butter,  then  put  them 
in  the  oven  for  five  minutes.  When  done, 
press  between  two  plates  till  cold.  Then 
mask  each  cutlet  with  a  thick  puree  of  to- 
matoes and  mushrooms  in  which  aspic  jelly 
has  been  mixed,  equal  parts  of  each.  Let 
them  be  put  on  ice  to  stiffen  the  masking. 
Koll  in  fine  cracker  meal,  then  dip  into  well- 


144  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

beaten  egg,  again  into  the  meal,  and  then 
place  them  in  a  saute  pan  with  very  hot  clar- 
ified butter,  and  cook  them  a  fine  golden 
brown.  Dish  up  on  a  border  of  mashed  po- 
tatoes browned  with  grated  Parmesan ;  serve 
mushrooms  in  the  centre  and  Spanish  sauce 
all  round. 

Pigeons  a  la  Tartare. — The  pigeons  should 
be  trussed  for  broiling;  flatten  well  with  a 
rolling-pin  without  breaking  the  skin,  season 
them  with  pepper  and  salt,  dip  into  clarified 
butter  and  cover  with  very  fine  crumbs  or 
cracker  meal.  Broil  them  carefully,  turning 
often.  Make  a  sauce  of  a  scant  tablespoon- 
ful  of  finely  chopped  parsley,  a  shallot,  two 
spoonfuls  of  pickled  gherkins,  and  a  boned 
anchovy.  Mince  all  finely  and  separately. 
Squeeze  over  them  the  juice  of  a  lemon ;  add 
half  a  tablespoonful  of  water  and  six  of  oil, 
and  a  little  pepper.  Mix  all  very  well,  and 
just  before  serving  rub  in  a  teaspoonful  of 
dry  mustard.  Put  the  sauce  into  the  dish, 
lay  the  pigeons  over,  and  serve. 


ENTREES.  145 

Compote  of  Pigeons.  —  For  any  dish  of 
pigeons  except  roast  or  broiled,  Avild  birds 
may  be  used  in  place  of  tame.  Their  flavor 
is  far  finer,  and  if  not  perfectly  young,  which 
is  the  main  objection  to  the  use  of  wild  birds, 
the  preparation  remedies  the  defect.  Cut 
four  ounces  of  lean  unsmoked  bacon  into 
pieces,  and  fry  five  minutes.  Split  the  pig- 
eons in  half,  skewer  each  half  as  neatly  as 
possible  with  tiny  skewers,  so  that  they  will 
not  sprawl  when  dished;  flour  and  season 
them  lightly,  and  fry  a  nice  brown  on  both 
sides ;  add  one  small  carrot,  one  small  turnip, 
two  sticks  of  celery,  one  shallot,  six  mush- 
rooms— all  cut  small;  add  a  hoiiquet  garni 
and  three  gills  of  rich  stock;  let  them  all 
simmer  very  slowly  in  a  stewpan  for  one 
hour,  or  longer  if  the  birds  are  not  young. 
Simmer  together  a  tablespoonful  of  flour 
and  one  of  butter ;  pepper  and  salt  (quan- 
tities depend  on  whether  the  stock  be  sea- 
soned) ;  stir  constantly,  and  when  they  begin 
to  change  color  pour  a  gill  of  brown  stock 
.    10 


146  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

to  it,  stirring  well;  remove  from  the  fire. 
Take  up  the  pigeons,  strain  the  gravy,  then 
stir  in  the  brown  thickening  you  have  made ; 
boil  up,  skim  off  all  fat,  then  return  the 
birds;  let  them  get  thoroughly  hot,  but  not 
boil.  Serve  on  a  border  of  mashed  potatoes, 
pour  the  gravy  round  and  over  them,  and 
fill  the  centre  with  peas  or  spinach. 

Souffle  of  Partridges. — Clean  and  cook  two 
partridges ;  remove  the  breasts  and  best  of 
the  other  flesh  without  skin  or  sinew.  Take 
two  ounces  of  rice  cooked  till  very  tender, 
pound  them  together  in  a  mortar  with  one 
ounce  of  butter  and  a  gill  and  a  half  of  glaze 
melted,  a  teaspoonful  of  salt,  and  a  sixth  of 
pepper.  Pound  until  the  whole  can  be  forced 
through  a  strainer,  then  add  the  beaten  yolks 
of  four  eggs,  and  last  of  all  the  whites  of 
two  beaten  till  they  will  not  slip  from  the 
dish ;  stir  them  very  lightly  into  the  mixture. 
Pour  it  into  a  silver  souffle  case,  or  into  a 
number  of  the  small  china  cases.  Bake  till 
it  rises,  and  then  serve  immediately  with  a 


ENTREES.  147 

tureen  of  rich  brown  sauce.  This  souffle  can 
be  made  of  any  kind  of  cold  bird  or  fish. 
The  four  eggs  are  given  for  medium-sized 
partridges. 

Salmis  of  Snijpe. — Clean  and  roast  lightly 
six  snipe,  saving  the  trail.  When  done  let 
them  get  cold,  then  cut  them  up  and  remove 
the  skin,  and  lay  them  in  a  buttered  stew- 
pan  ;  pound  the  trimmings  and  bones  in  a 
mortar,  and  put  them  into  a  stewpan  with 
two  shallots,  a  clove,  a  bouquet  of  herbs,  and 
half  a  pint  of  claret ;  let  this  simmer  until 
reduced  to  one  half.  Then  add  three  quar- 
ters of  a  pint  of  Spanish  sauce.  Let  these 
very  gently  simmer  for  half  an  hour,  skim- 
ming frequently ;  strain  through  a  fine  sieve, 
and  return  to  the  stewpan.  If  it  is  not  thick 
enough  to  coat  the  spoon,  reduce  a  little 
more.  Pour  this  sauce  over  the  snipe  in  the 
saute  pan,  and  let  it  get  hot  without  boiling ; 
pile  the  pieces  in  a  pyramid ;  meanwhile 
chop  the  trail,  mix  with  half  the  quantity  of 
fdte  defoie  gras  and  a  little  salt  and  pepper ; 


148  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

spread  this  on  croutons,  bake,  and  use  them 
to  garnish  the  snipe. 

Fillets  of  Teal  with  Anchovies. — Remove 
the  breasts  from  a  j)air  of  teal  after  they 
have  been  three  parts  roasted.  Take  care 
to  preserve  each  half  breast  in  good  shape. 
Lay  these  fillets  seasoned  in  a  china  fire- 
proof dish  which  has  been  well  buttered  and 
strewed  with  grated  Parmesan;  split  two 
anchovies,  remove  the  bone.  Wash  and  dry 
the  four  halves,  lay  one  on  each  fillet  of  teal, 
moisten  with  a  gill  of  fish  stock,  sprinkle 
with  bread  crumbs  and  grated  Parmesan 
cheese,  lay  small  pieces  of  butter  over,  and 
bake  in  the  oven  fifteen  minutes.  The  last 
thing  before  serving  squeeze  the  juice  of  a 
lemon  over  all. 

Rabbits  are  so  little  cared  for  in  this  coun- 
try that  it  may  seem  useless  to  give  recipes 
for  using  them.  There  are  probably  two  rea- 
sons for  the  low  estimate  in  which  rabbit  is 
held  here.  One,  that  as  they  are  offered  in 
market  they  are  skinny,  miserable  animals. 


ENTREES.  149 

Yet  there  are  parts  of  the  country  where 
they  attain  a  good  size,  and  a  fine  plump 
rabbit  may  compare  favorably  with  fowl  for 
many  purposes.  Indeed,  English  epicures 
use  it  in  preference  for  mulligatawny.  The 
second  reason,  and  probably  the  one  that  is 
the  real  reason,  for  the  difference  in  taste  is 
because,  being  so  lightly  esteemed,  no  care  is 
ever  given  to  the  preparation  of  the;ii. 

On  the  chance  that  some  reader  may  feel 
inclined  to  test  the  possibilities  of  the  native 
rabbit,  and  its  claims  to  a  place  in  choice 
cookery,  I  give  two  or  three  recipes,  each 
admirable  in  its  way.  Rabbits  should  be 
used  quite  fresh,  and  cleaned  and  wiped  dry 
as  soon  after  they  are  killed  as  possible. 

Grenadines  of  EaMit  a  la  Soubise. — Take 
the  whole  backs  of  two  rabbits  from  the 
shoulders  to  the  thighs,  both  of  which  you 
reject ;  cut  away  the  ribs  and  the  thin  part 
that  forms  the  stomach,  leaving  only  the 
backbone  with  solid  flesh  each  side ;  divide 
this  into .  sections,  about  two  joints  to  each. 


150  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

Lard  them,  and  then  braise  for  one  hour. 
Stand  them  in  a  circle,  and  pour  over  and 
round  them  a  pint  of  brown  Soubise  sauce. 

Fillets  of  Hahhit  with  Cucumher.  —  Half 
roast  a  rabbit,  then  remove  the  solid  flesh 
from  each  side  the  backbone  in  long  filletG. 
Cut  two  cucumbers  and  one  Bermuda  onion 
in  thin  slices,  salt  them,  and  let  them  drain. 
Lard  the  fillets  of  rabbit,  season  them,  and 
lay  them  in  a  stewpan,  with  a  pint  of  white 
sauce  slightly  thinned  with  white  stock,  the 
cucumber,  and  the  onion.  Let  them  simmer 
for  half  an  hour.  Lay  the  fillets  in  a  circle, 
and  put  the  cucumber  and  onion  in  the  centre, 
the  sauce,  which  should  be  thick  enough  to 
mask  them,  over  the  fillets.  Fried  sippets 
garnish  this  dish. 

A  Civet. — For  this  dish  the  dark-fleshed 
rabbit,  or  hare,  as  it  is  often  called,  is  best. 
Cut  it  into  meat  joints ;  cut  half  a  pound  of 
unsmoked  bacon  into  slices,  and  fry  in  a 
saucepan  ;  then  lay  in  the  hare,  and  saute 
for  fifteen  minutes.     Pour  off  the  fat.     Add 


ENTREES.  151 

half  a  pint  of  port-wine,  a  bouquet  garni,  and 
a  dozen  mushrooms,  and  a  Kttle  pepper  and 
salt ;  let  this  simmer  gently  one  hour  ;  then 
add  a  pint  of  brown  sauce  and  twenty  but- 
ton onions  which  have  been  blanched.  Sim- 
mer for  another  half-hour.  Remove  the  bou- 
quet, add  a  gill  of  stewed  and  strained  toma- 
to, half  a  gill  of  glaze,  and  a  tablespoonf  ul  of 
Chutney.  Serve  in  a  pyramid,  pour  the 
gravy,  after  it  is  ^^ell  skimmed,  over  the 
whole,  and  garnish  with  fried  croutons. 

Thnbales  d^Epmard. — Make  some  quenelle 
meat  of  chicken  or  veal  according  to  direc- 
tions already  given,  and  mix  with  puree  of 
spinach,  prepared  as  follows,  until  it  is  a  nice 
green ;  pick  and  wash  some  spinach,  put  it 
into  salted  boiling  water,  and  boil  fast  for 
fifteen  minutes.  Drain  and  press  it,  then 
beat  it  through  a  wire  sieve ;  return  to  the 
saucepan  with  two  ounces  of  butter ;  pepper 
and  salt ;  stir  till  well  mixed.  Stir  a  gill  of 
cream  to  the  quenelle  meat,  then  use  enough 
of  the  spinach  to  give  it  a  fine  light-green 


153  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

color.  When  well  mixed,  butter  some  dariole 
moulds ;  nearly  fill  them.  Then  dip  your  fin- 
ger in  cold  water  and  press  a  hole  in  the  cen- 
tre of  each  to  the  bottom  ;  fill  it  with  a  puree 
of  ham,  and  then  put  a  coating  of  quenelle 
meat  over,  and  steam  twenty  minutes. 

Puree  of  ham  is  prepared  as  follows : 
pound  lean  boiled  ham  in  a  mortar  with 
some  stock  that  has  been  boiled  down  to 
half  glaze ;  rub  through  a  wire  sieve.  If  too 
stiiff,  moisten  with  a  little  more  melted  glaze. 


XYII. 

COLD  ENTRIES,  OR  CHAUDFROIDS. 

These  elegant  dishes  are  suitable  for  for- 
mal breakfasts,  luncheons,  and  suppers,  and 
while  presenting  an  unusually  attractive  ap- 
pearance, are  easier  to  manage  than  less 
elaborate  dishes,  because  they  can  usually  be 
prepared,  all  but  garnishing,  the  day  before. 

Although  in  giving  the  recipes  meat  cooked 
for  the  purpose  will  always  be  directed,  and 
for  formal  purposes  no  care  or  expense  should 
be  spared,  the  intelligent  reader  will  see 
where  she  may  make  a  very  pretty  dish  by 
utilizing  cold  fowl,  game,  or  lamb  for  any 
simple  occasion. 

Sweetbreads  au  Montpellier. — Parboil  a  pair 
of  fine  white  sweetbreads,  after  soaking  them 
in  salt  and  water  an  hour.  Let  them  get  cold 
between  two  plates  under  slight  pressure. 


154  CHOICE    COOKERY. 

Cut  them  into  the  form  of  cutlets  (cutlet  cut- 
ters are  to  be  obtained  at  the  fashionable 
'New  York  hardware  stores,  and  at  the  large 
French  tin-shops  downtown).  Have  some 
firm  aspic  jelly  not  quite  set ;  dip  each  cutlet 
in  it ;  chop  some  aspic  that  is  hard  and  cold 
roughly ;  form  a  circle  of  it ;  arrange  the  cut- 
lets on  this ;  fill  the  centre  with  asparagus 
heads ;  pour  mayonnaise  round,  and  garnish 
with  fancy  shapes  of  aspic,  red  and  white 
alternately.  Red  aspic  is  colored  with  pulp 
of  the  red  beet  stirred  into  it  w^hile  liquid 
and  then  strained  out ;  green  is  produced  by 
spinach.  The  various  shades  of  amber,  shad- 
ing into  rich  brown,  that  are  so  eifective 
when  tastefully  mingled,  are  due  to  caramel 
coloring.  When  colored  a^ic  is  required  for 
garnishing,  pour  off  a  little  into  separate  ves- 
sels, and  color  each  as  required. 

Chicken  Salad  d  la  Prince. — Cut  the  white 
meat  of  cold  fowl  into  neat  fillets,  using  a 
very  sharp  knife,  so  that  there  may  be  no 
ragged  edges.    Mask  each  piece  with  a  mixt- 


COLD  ENTREES,  OK  CHAUDFEOIDS.     155 

ure  made  as  follows :  One  tablespoonful  of 
finely  minced  capers,  two  of  minced  boiled 
ham,  three  hard-boiled  eggs,  an  anchovy 
boned  and  washed,  and  two  sardines  freed 
from  skin.  All  these  must  be  well  pounded, 
then  rubbed  through  a  sieve ;  add  a  teaspoon- 
ful  of  finely  minced  tarragon  and  chives. 
Stir  all  into  a  tablespoonful  of  mayonnaise 
and  one  of  aspic,  semi-fluid  of  course.  When 
each  fillet  has  been  well  coated  with  the 
mixture  and  has  set,  line  a  border  mould 
with  aspic  jelly,  ornament  the  fillets  of  chick- 
en with  little  strips  of  beet-root  and  cucum- 
ber arranged  like  a  trellis- work.  Place  them 
very  carefully  round  the  mould  on  the  layer 
of  aspic,  then  pour  in  a  little  more  aspic, 
until  the  border  mould  is  full,  and  set  it  on 
ice.  When  about  to  serve  have  a  dish  well 
layered  with  the  small  leaves  of  lettuce. 
Drop  the  mould  for  one  minute  in  warm 
water,  and  turn  out  on  to  the  lettuce.  Fill 
the  centre  with  a  salad  composed  of  cucum- 
ber cut  into  dice,  peas,  string-beans  cooked 


156  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

until  tender  (for  this  purpose  the  canned 
French  string-beans  serve  admirably,  being 
beautifully  cut  ready).  Pour  over  the  centre 
salad  some  thick  mayonnaise. 

Where  mayonnaise  makes  too  rich  a  dish 
for  the  digestion,  bechamel  sauce  may  be  sub- 
stituted for  masking,  but  never  for  salad; 
for  instance,  two  very  simple  chaudfroids 
of  chicken  may  be  made  as  follows : 

Chaudfroid  of  Chicken,  IS'o.  1. — Cut  up  a 
young  fleshy  chicken  into  neat  joints,  remove 
the  skin,  mask  each  piece  carefully  with  be- 
chamel sauce ;  when  quite  set  arrange  on 
chopped  aspic  in  a  circle,  garnish  with  strips 
of  cucumber  and  beet ;  cut  the  remainder  of 
the  cucumber  and  beet  into  neat  pieces,  and 
stir  into  a  gill  of  mayonnaise,  and  use  for  the 
centre.  This  and  all  salads  should  be  lightly 
seasoned  before  the  mayonnaise  is  added,  or 
they  are  apt  to  taste  flat. 

Chaudfroid  of  Chicken,  !No.  2. — Prepare 
the  chicken  as  in  last  recipe,  only  before 
masking  the  joints  season  the  bechamel  well 


COLD   ENTKEES,  OR   CHAUDFEOIDS.  157 

with  finely  chopped  tarragon  ;  leave  out  the 
mayonnaise  and  aspic.  Pile  up  the  pieces  of 
chicken  on  the  entree  dish,  and  garnish  with 
Roman  lettuce,  or,  if  that  is  not  to  be  had, 
the  hearts  of  Boston  lettuce. 

Chicken  and  Ham  Cutlets. — Boil  a  young 
fowl  with  a  good  breast  in  clear  stock ;  take 
it  out,  let  it  get  cold;  cut  the  breast  into 
rather  thin  slices.  The  bones,  skin,  and  trim- 
mings may  be  thrown  back  in  the  stock, 
which  can  be  boiled  down  to  make  both  the 
bechamel  and  aspic  for  the  dish  (see  recipes), 
or  be  kept  for  other  purposes.  Take  the 
slices  of  chicken  and  some  very  well  cooked 
lean  ham  that  is  cut  so  thin  you  can  see 
the  knife  under  the  slices.  Melt  a  little  be- 
chamel sauce,  that  must  be  like  blanc-mange, 
pour  it  on  a  plate,  and  before  it  has  time  to 
cool  cover  the  plate  with  the  slices  of  chicken. 
Dip  the  ham  into  the  stock  (if  it  has  been 
boiled  down  to  jelly,  otherwise  into  melted 
aspic),  lay  the  ham  over  the  chicken,  then 
more  thin  slices  of  chicken.     Now  cover  the 


158  ^CHOICE   COOKERY. 

whole  by  means  of  a  spoon  with  more  be- 
chamel ;  when  all  this  sets,  which,  as  your 
sauce  has  only  been  half  melted,  it  will  do 
quickly,  you  have  a  large  white  cake  about 
half  an  inch  thick.  Cut  this  cake  into  small 
pieces  (unless  you  have  a  cutlet  cutter),  as 
like  a  cutlet  in  form  as  possible,  using  a  sharp 
penknife  or  boning  -  knife.  Take  up  each 
carefully,  and  with  the  end  of  a  silver  knife 
or  small  spoon  cover  the  edges  with  the  be- 
chamel sauce,  which  must  be  nearly  set  for 
this  purpose. 

To  garnish  the  cutlets,  cut  some  tiny  green 
leaves  from  pickled  gherkins,  and  red  ones 
from  the  skin  of  a  red  pepper-pod,  and  place 
two  of  each  in  the  centre  of  each  cutlet,  star- 
shaped  ;  a  touch  of  white  sauce  will  make 
them  stick;  place  a  speck  of  parsley  not 
larger  than  a  pin's  head  in  the  centre.  Stick 
a  tiny  lobster  claw  three  quarters  of  an  inch 
long  at  the  narrow  end  of  the  cutlet,  and 
place  them  in  a  silver  dish  round  some  aspic 
of  a  bright  amber  color,  chopped.     Put  a 


COLD    ENTKEES,   OR   CHAUDFROIDS.  159 

very  small  sprig  of  parsley  between  each 
cutlet. 

I  may  here  remind  the  reader  that  when 
aspic  or  bechamel  is  used  for  masking  or  for 
pouring  into  a  mould  as  lining,  etc.,  it  must 
not  he  made  hot,  only  softened  in  a  bowl  set 
in  warm  water,  just  enough  to  be  free  from 
lumps.  It  must,  of  course,  be  stirred  from 
the  moment  it  begins  to  soften.  The  mould 
to  be  lined  should  be  turned  about  till  it  is 
well  coated,  and  if  there  is  a  disposition  to 
run  off  the  sides,  roll  it  round  in  ice.  For 
instance,  when  the  first  layer  of  bechamel  is 
poured  on  the  plate  as  directed  in  last  recipe, 
it  must  be  moved  about  until  quite  covered, 
yet  very  thinly.  If  it  sets  too  soon,  hold  the 
bottom  of  the  plate  over  steam. 

Reed-Mr ds  in  Aspic. — Take  the  back  and 
breast  bone  from  a  dozen  birds,  splitting 
them  down  the  back  first.  Save  the  feet. 
Make  a  force-meat  of  pate  de  foie  gras  and 
panada  in  equal  proportions ;  season  highly, 
spread  the  inside  of  the  birds,  sew  them  up 


160  CHOICE   COOKEEY. 

as  nearly  in  shape  as  possible ;  bake  seven 
to  ten  minutes,  then  dip  them  into  glaze ; 
put  a  little  pale  aspic  in  a  dozen  dariole 
moulds,  enough  to  cover  the  bottom  a  quar- 
ter of  an  inch,  and  when  just  set  j)ut  in  a 
bird  breast  down ;  set  on  ice  a  few  minutes, 
then  pour  in  aspic  to  cover  the  bird  a  quarter 
of  an  inch.  Put  on  ice.  Turn  out,  and  on 
the  top  of  each  strew  pistachio  nuts  chopped 
very  fine.  Insert  the  two  feet  of  the  bird, 
scalded  and  dried,  to  stand  up  from  the 
centre. 

Chaudfroid  of  I^eed-hirds.—Trepsire  as  in 
last  recipe  with  pate  de  foie  gras  force-meat. 
Butter  a  dozen  dariole  moulds.  Put  a  bird 
in  each,  breast  downward ;  put  the  dariole 
moulds  in  a  pan  with  a  little  water,  and  set 
it  in  the  oven  for  fifteen  minutes ;  w^hen  cold, 
turn  out  che  birds,  w^ipe  them,  dip  each  in 
brown  chaudfroid  sauce,  and  put  them  on  a 
dish  to  cool.  When  cold,  lay  them  in  rows 
against  a  pile  of  chopped  aspic. 

Brown  Chaudfroid  Sauce  is  made  by  put- 


COLD   ENTREES,  OE   CHAUDFKOIDS.  161 

ting  a  pint  of  Spanish  sauce,  a  gill  of  cream, 
half  a  pint  of  aspic  jelly  together,  and  boil- 
ing them  until  they  are  reduced  one  quarter. 
Skim  constantly,  and  strain  for  use. 

White  Chaitdfroid  Sauce  is  simply  becha- 
mel and  aspic  treated  in  the  same  way.  It 
differs,  of  course,  from  plain  bechamel  in  hav- 
ing the  piquant  flavor  of  the  aspic ;  in  ap- 
pearance there  is  little  difference. 
11 


XYIII. 

COLD  ENTEEES. 

Iced  Savory  Souffle.  —  This  dish  can  be 
made  of  fish,  game,  or  chicken,  but  is  con- 
sidered best  made  of  crab.  Cut  up  the  crab, 
or  whatever  it  may  be,  into  small  pieces ;  let 
it  soak  in  mayonnaise  sauce  for  two  or  three 
hours.  Have  some  well-flavored  aspic  jelly, 
half  liquid ;  whip  it  till  it  is  very  frothy ; 
put  some  of  this  at  the  bottom  of  the  dish  it 
is  to  be  served  in — a  silver  one  is  most  effect- 
ive ;  then  place  a  layer  of  crab  well  seasoned, 
and  fill  it  up  with  aspic  and  crab  alternately 
until  the  dish  is  nearly  full ;  place  a  band  of 
stiff  paper  round,  and  fill  in  with  whipped 
aspic ;  set  it  on  ice  for  two  hours ;  take  off 
the  paper,  and  serve. 

Sm)ories. — Within  the  last  few  years, which 
may,  perhaps,  be  called  the  renaissance  of 


COLD    ENTKEES.  163 

cooking  in  England,  since  Kettner,  in  his 
"  Book  of  the  Table,"  shows  that  in  the  Mid- 
dle Ages  that  country  was  famous  for  its  cui- 
sine, while  France  was  still  benighted — with- 
in the  last  few  years,  then,  there  has  grown 
up  a  fashion  of  introducing  preparations 
called  savories.  They  vary  very  much,  from 
the  tiny  little  houchette  of  something  very 
piquant,  to  be  taken  between  courses  as  an 
appetizer — which,  I  believe,  was  the  original 
idea — to  quite  important  dishes  suitable  as 
entrees  for  formal  breakfasts  or  suppers. 
But  it  is  with  the  original  ^'savory"  as  a 
piquant  mouthful  that  they  will  take  their 
place  in  this  book.  So  important  a  part 
have  they  come  to  play  in  Enghsh  menus 
(I  am  not  now  speaking  of  simple  dinners) 
that  the  invention  of  a  new  "savory"  is 
something  to  be  proud  of,  and  it  is  said  that 
the  very  best  are  invented  by  the  hons  vivants 
themselves,  seldom  by  the  chef.  One  lady 
has  written  a  book  of  w^hich  savories  is  the 
only  branch  of  cooking  treated,  and  she  says 


164  CHOICE  COOKERY. 

in  her  preface,  "  Savories  being  at  present  so 
fashionable,  and  novelties  in  them  so  eagerly 
inquired  for,  I  have  been  induced  to  publish 
a  small  book  on  the  subject." 

In  looking  over  any  list  of  small  savories 
we  find  many  of  our  old  friends  in  it,  such 
as  cheese  canapes,  angels  on  horsehach,  anchovy 
toast,  etc.  With  these  familiar  dainties  we 
will  have  nothing  to  do,  only  the  mention 
of  them  will  serve  to  show  that  any  little 
piquant  morsel  may  be  used  as  an  appetizer 
served  as  hor^s  cTceuvres. 

The  Savage  Club  Canajpes. — These  must  be 
made  small  enough  not  to  require  dividing — 
in  other  words,  can  be  eaten  at  one  mouth- 
ful. Cut  slices  of  stale  Vienna  bread  a  quar- 
ter of  an  inch  thick,  stamp  out  from  them 
with  a  very  small  cutter  circles  about  the 
size  of  a  fifty-cent  piece.  Saute  these  in  a 
little  hot  butter  till  they  are  a  very  pale 
brown.  Lay  them  on  paper  when  done,  to 
absorb  grease.  Stone  as  many  small  olives 
as  you  have  guests ;  fillet  half  as  many  small 


COLD   ENTKEES.  165 

anchovies — that  is  to  say,  split  them,  and  re- 
move the  bones  and  scales ;  wash  them,  dry 
them,  and  roll  each  one  up  as  small  as  possi- 
ble, and  insert"  it  in  an  olive  in  place  of  the 
stone.  Now  trim  one  end  of  the  olive  so  that 
it  will  stand ;  then  put  a  drop  of  thick  may- 
onnaise on  the  centre  of  one  of  the  rounds  of 
fried  bread,  which,  of  course,  must  be  quite 
cold ;  stand  the  stuffed  olive  on  it  neatly,  and 
put  one  drop  of  mayonnaise  on  the  top,  to 
cover  the  opening  in  the  olive.  A  variation, 
and  I  think  an  improvement,  on  this  bouchee, 
is  to  use  a  little  softened  aspic  to  attach  the 
olive,  and  a  small  quantity  finely  chopped  to 
crown  it.  Still  another  plan  is  to  put  a  tiny 
disk  of  bright-red  beet  on  the  top,  using  as- 
pic to  cement  it  there. 

Canapes  a  la  Bis7narch. — Cut  circles  with 
a  small  cutter  from  slices  of  stale  bread  a 
quarter  of  an  inch  thick ;  saute  in  butter  till 
they  are  a  light  brown;  spread  over  each 
when  cold  a  thin  layer  of  anchovy  butter ; 
curl  round  on  each  an  anchovy  well  washed, 


166  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

boned,  and  trimmed;  sprinkle  Tory  finely 
shred  olives  over  them.  Anchovy  butter  is 
two  parts  butter  and  one  of  anchovy  paste. 

Caviary  Canapes. — Cut  some  slices  of  bread 
a  quarter  of  an  inch  thick ;  cut  disks  from 
them  Avith  a  small  round  cutter;  fry  them 
pale  brown  in  butter.  When  about  to  use 
them  chop  a  large  handful  of  w^ater-cress 
leaves  very  fine,  taking  care  to  press  them  in  a 
cloth  to  remove  all  water  before  you  begin  to 
chop ;  when  they  are  almost  as  fine  as  pulp, 
mix  with  them  an  equal  amount  of  butter; 
when  well  blended,  spread  each  canape  with 
it,  and  spread  a  layer  of  caviare  on  the  top. 

Prawns  en  Surprise.  —  Cut  some  small 
rounds  of  bread  and  butter,  not  more  than 
two  inches  in  diameter  and  a  quarter  inch 
thick.  Peel  some  prawns;  steep  them  in 
mayonnaise  sauce  a  few  minutes ;  place  three 
on  eacli  round  of  bread-and-butter,  with  a 
small  piece  of  water-cress  on  each.  Place 
over  all  some  whipped  aspic  jelly;  strew 
lobster  coral  over  them. 


COLD   ENTREES.  167 

Prince  of  Wales  Canapes. — Take  some  fine 
prawns,  three  anchovies,  two  gherkins,  and 
two  truffles.  Bone  the  anchovies  and  wash 
them,  peel  the  prawns,  and  tlien  cut  all  the 
ingredients  into  very  small  dice.  Make  a 
sauce  as  follows :  Bruise  a  hard-boiled  yolk 
of  egg  in  a  mortar  with  a  tablespoonf  ul  of 
salad  oil,  a  saltspoonful  of  mustard ;  mix 
with  this  an  anchovy  and  a  teaspoonful  of 
tarragon  that  has  been  scalded  and  chopped ; 
pound  all  well  together,  and  pass  through  a 
sieve  with  a  teaspoonful  of  tarragon  vinegar 
and  a  speck  of  cayenne ;  mix  enough  of  this 
with  the  prawns,  etc.,  to  season  the  mixture. 
Salt,  it  will  be  observed,  is  not  mentioned, 
because  the  anchovies  and  prawns  may  be 
salt,  but  this  can  only  be  known  to  the  cook 
by  tasting.  Butter  some  small  water  bis- 
cuits (crackers),  put  a  small  teaspoonful  of 
tlie  mixture  on  each,  and  cover  with  finely 
cliopped  aspic.  Garnish  by  putting  a  spot 
of  green  gherkin  on  one,  a  spot  of  red  beet 
on  another,  and  on  a  third  one  of  truffle^  and 
so  on  alternately. 


168  CHOICE   COOKEKY. 

Skrimp  Canapes.  —  Fry  some  rounds  of 
bread  as  directed  for  other  canapes.  Make 
some  shrimp  butter  by  pounding  equal  quan- 
tities of  shrimps,  from  which  heads,  tails,  and 
shells  have  been  removed,  and  fresh  butter 
till  they  form  a  smooth  mass;  spread  the 
fried  bread  with  it.  Place  whole  shrimps 
on  the  top  in  the  shape  of  a  rosette,  in  the 
centre  of  which  put  a  tiny  pinch  of  chopped 
parsley. 

Cheese  Biscuits  a  la  St.  James. — Take  three 
tablespoonf  uls  of  the  finest  flour,  half  a  pound 
of  cream  curds,  and  five  ounces  of  Brie  cheese, 
which  has  been  carefully  scraped,  and  a  pinch 
of  salt ;  pound  all  in  a  mortar ;  add  fiXQ  ounces 
of  softened  butter  and  three  eggs,  to  make  a 
very  stiff  paste,  which  must  be  rolled  very 
thin,  and  cut  into  round  biscuits.  Bake  in 
a  very  quick  oven,  and  serve  hot. 

Klushis  of  Cream  Cheese.  —  Take  half  a 
pound  of  fresh  butter,  six  eggs,  six  table- 
spoonfuls  of  cream  cheese,  a  pinch  of  pow- 
dered sugar,  salt,  and  sufficient  grated  bread 


COLD    ENTEEES.  169 

crumbs  to  make  a  paste,  adding  cream  if  it 
crumbles ;  mix  well  together,  and  roll  into 
small  balls ;  poach  them  in  boiling  water  un- 
til firm  (no  longer).  Serve  hot,  with  a  spoon- 
ful of  poivrade  sauce  on  each. 

Cold  Cheese  Souffles. — Grate  one  and  a  half 
ounces  of  Gruyere  cheese ;  the  same  of  Par- 
mesan. Whip  half  a  pint  of  cream  and  a 
gill  of  aspic  jelly  to  a  high  froth ;  stir  in  the 
cheese ;  season  with  salt,  cayenne,  and  made 
mustard  to  taste.  Fill  little  paper  baskets 
or  very  small  ramequin  cases,  grate  cheese 
over  the  top,  and  set  on  ice  to  get  firm. 

The  above  mixture  may  be  frozen  just  as 
you  would  ice-cream,  but  very  firm,  then  cut 
out  in  little  cubes,  and  serve  on  canapes  of 
fried  bread ;  it  is  then  called  "  Crotites  de 
Fromage  Glace." 

Oysters  a  la  St.  George. — Take  the  beards 
from  two  dozen  oysters ;  put  the  melt  (or 
soft  roe)  of  two  Yarmouth  bloaters  into  a 
saute  pan  with  two  ounces  of  butter;  dry 
and  flour  the  oysters,  and  saute  them  with 


170  CHOICE    COOKEKY. 

the  melt.  Have  some  squares  of  bread  fried 
a  nice  light  brown ;  place  a  nice  piece  of  the 
melt  on  each  square,  and  an  oyster  on  top ; 
squeeze  a  iew  drops  of  lemon  juice  on  each, 
and  serve  xerj  hot. 

Antoinettes. — For  these  fantastic  little  tri- 
fles you  require  anchovies  preserved  in  oil — 
not  in  salt ;  they  are  found  at  all  Italian  gro- 
ceries and  at  the  larger  American  grocers'. 
Wipe  them  free  from  scales  and  oil ;  cut  each 
into  long,  thin  strips.  Have  ready  some  plain 
pastry  rolled  very  thin ;  envelop  each  strip 
of  anchovy  in  pastry ;  pinch  closely,  so  that 
it  will  not  burst  open,  and  fry  in  very  hot 
fat  for  a  half-minute,  or  saute  them  in  but- 
ter till  crisp  and  yellow.  Serve  log-house 
fashion,  using  two  allumettes  for  each  cross- 
ing instead  of  one ;  jDut  fried  parsley  in  the 
corners,  and  serve  very  hot. 

£Jggs  -a  la  St.  James. — Take  as  many  eggs 
as  you  have  guests,  and  boil  them  hard  in 
buttered  dariole  moulds;  the  moulds  must 
be  large  enough  to  hold  the  e^g  when  .broken 


COLD    ENTEEES.  171 

into  it,  but  not  much  larger.  When  quite 
cold  remove  the  eggs ;  slice  off  the  white  at 
one  end  of  each,  taking  care  to  preserve  the 
shape.  Scoop  out  the  yolk ;  mix  this  with  a 
teaspoonful  of  chopped  truffles,  a  little  pep- 
per and  salt,  and  put  it  back  very  neatly  into 
the  whites.  Coat  the  eggs  with  aspic  jelly 
several  times.  Serve  them  upside  down,  that 
is,  the  uncut  part  upward.  Put  a  spoonful 
of  half-mayonnaise  (mayonnaise  mixed  Avith 
whipped  cream)  on  each,  and  a  few  specks  of 
chopped  truffle. 

A  variety  of  this  dish  has  anchovy  paste 
in  very  small  quantity  in  place  of  truffle,  and 
the  mayonnaise  just  made  pink  with  it. 


XIX. 

GALANTINES,  BALLOTINES,  ETC. 

Galantines  are  so  useful  and  handsome  a 
dish  in  a  large  family,  or  one  where  many 
visitors  are  received,  that  it  is  Avell  worth 
while  to  learn  the  art  of  boning  birds  in  or- 
der to  achieve  them.  Nor,  if  the  amateur 
cook  is  satisfied  with  the  unambitious  mode 
of  boning  hereafter  to  be  described,  need  the 
achievement  be  very  difficult. 

Experts  bone  a  bird  whole  without  break- 
ing the  skin,  but  to  accomplish  it  much  prac- 
tice is  required ;  and  even  where  it  is  desir- 
able to  preserve  the  shape  of  the  bird,  as 
when  it  is  to  be  braised,  or  roasted  and  glazed 
for  serving  cold,  it'.can  be  managed  with  care 
if  boned  the  easier  way.  However,  if  nice 
white  milk-fed  veal  can  be  obtained,  a  very 
excellent  galantine  may  be  made  from  it,  and 


GALANTINES,  BALLOTINES,  ETC.  173 

to  my  mind  to  be  preferred  to  fowl,  because, 
as  a  matter  of  fact,  when  boned  there  is  such 
a  thin  sheet  of  meat  that  it  but  serves  as  a 
covering  for  the  forccimeat  (very  often  sau- 
sage-meat), and  although  it  makes  a  savory 
and  handsome  dish,  it  really  is  only  glorified 
sausage-meat,  much  easier  to  produce  in  some 
other  w^ay.  This  is,  of  course,  not  the  case 
with  turkey ;  but  a  boned  turkey  is  so  large 
a  dish  that  a  private  family  might  find  it 
too  much  except  for  special  occasions.  On 
the  other  hand,  galantines  of  game,  although 
the  birds  may  be  still  smaller,  are  so  full  of 
flavor  that  it  overwhelms  that  of  the  dressing. 
The  following  process  of  boning,  however, 
applies  to  all  birds.  To  accomplish  the  work 
with  ease  and  success,  a  French  boning-knife 
is  desirable,  but  in  the  absence  of  one  a  sharp- 
pointed  case-knife  may  do.  Place  the  bird 
before  you,  breast  down,  with  the  head  tow- 
ards you.  Cut  a  straight  line  down  the  back 
through  skin  and  flesh  to  the  bone.  Release 
with  the  left  thumb  and  forefinger  the  skin 


174  CHOICE   COOKEBY. 

and  flesh  on  the  left  side  nearest  to  you,  and 
with  the  right  hand  keep  cutting  away  the 
flesh  from  the  bone,  puUing  it  away  clear  as 
it  is  cut  with  the  left  hand.  When  you  reach 
the  wing  joint  cut  it  clean  away,  leaving  the 
bone  in  the  wing,  and  continue  cutting  with 
the  knife  close  to  the  bone  until  all  the  meat 
from  the  left  breast  is  released.  Eeturn  to 
the  back  and  continue  to  separate  the  meat 
from  the  bone,  always  keeping  the  edge  of 
the  knife  pressed  close  to  the  latter,  until  the 
leg  is  reached ;  twist  it  round,  which  will  en- 
able you  to  get  the  skin  over  it,  and  cut  the 
joint  from  the  body  bone.  Proceed  with  the 
right  side  in  the  same  way,  using  your  left 
hand  for  cutting  and  your  right  to  free  the 
meat  (to  some  this  would  be  very  awkward, 
and  when  it  is  so  turn  the  bird  round).  The 
bird  will  now  be  clear  of  the  carcass.  Lay 
the  bird  flat  on  the  board,  inside  upward, 
then  cut  out  the  wing-bone  and  proceed  to 
the  legs ;  cut  the  meat  on  the  inside  of  each 
thigh  down  to  the  bone  and  clear  the  meat 


GALANTINES,  BALLOTINES,  ETC.  175 

from  it,  cutting  it  each  side  until  you  can  lift 
the  bone  out ;  then  free  the  drumstick  in  the 
same  way. 

If  it  be  intended  to  stuff  the  bird  in  form, 
it  would  be  necessary  to  bone  the  leg  and 
wings  from  the  inside,  but  for  a  galantine  it 
is  useless  trouble,  as  they  are  to  be  drawn  in- 
side the  bird.  Spread  out  the  bird,  having 
drawn  legs  and  wings  inside,  season  with  a 
teaspoonf ul  of  salt  and  half  a  saltspoonf ul  of 
white  pepper  mixed  together,  and  rubbed 
over  the  flesh,  which  must  have  been  made 
as  even  as  possible  by  cutting  the  thick  parts 
and  spreading  them  over  the  thin  ones.  If 
there  are  any  bits  of  meat  clinging  to  the 
bones  they  must  be  carefully  gathered  to- 
gether and  chopped  with  a  pound  of  veal  and 
two  ounces  of  lean  cold  boiled  ham,  with  four 
ounces  of  fat,  sweet,  salt  pork.  (Butter  may 
be  substituted  if  pork  is  objected  to).  When 
all  is  chopped  as  fine  as  sausage-meat,  season 
rather  highly  ^yiih  pepper  and  salt.  Spread 
a  layer  an  inch  thick  over  the  bird;  then 


176  CHOICE    COOKERY. 

add  some  long  strips  of  tongue,  some  black 
truffles  cut  into  dice  half  an  inch  square,  and 
a  few  pistachio  nuts.  Dispose  these,  which 
may  be  called  the  ornamental  adjuncts  of 
the  galantine,  judiciously,  so  that  when  cut 
cold  they  will  be  well  distributed.  Cover 
carefully  with  another  layer  of  force-meat, 
fold  both  sides  over  so  that  the  force-meat 
will  be  well  enclosed,  form  it  into  a  bolster- 
shaped  roll,  tie  it  up  in  a  linen  cloth  securely 
with  string  at  eacli  end,  and  sew  the  cloth 
evenly  along  the  middle,  so  that  the  shape 
will  keep  even.  Put  it  into  a  stewpan  with 
stock  enough  to  cover  it,  two  onions,  two 
carrots  sliced,  a  stick  of  celery,  a  small  bunch 
of  parsley,  a  dozen  peppercorns,  an  ounce 
of  salt,  and  the  bones  of  the  bird,  well 
cracked.  Let  it  simmer  gently  for  three 
hours  and  a  half.  Take  it  up,  strain  the 
liquor,  and  let  the  galantine  get  nearly  cold. 
Take  off  the  cloth ;  wring  it  quite  dry ;  put 
it  on  again,  rolling  the  galantine  as  tight  as 
possible ;  tie  firmly,  and  place  it  on  a  platter ; 


GALANTINES,  BALLOTINES,  ETC.  177 

cover  with  another  platter,  and  place  a  heavy 
weight  upon  it  to  press  it  into  shape.  Let 
the  stock  get  cold.  Take  off  the  grease. 
Add  a  half-teaspoonful  of  sugar  and  the  juice 
of  a  quarter  of  a  lemon  to  the  stock,  and  re- 
duce by  rapid  boiling  to  a  half-glaze,  that  is 
to  say,  a  jelly  firm  enough  to  cut  into  forms 
without  being  tough.  Clear  with  white  of 
egg  in  the  usual  way,  and  when  quite  trans- 
parent pour  part  into  shallow  dishes,  leaving 
enough  to  cover  the  galantine.  Color  one 
dish  a  rich  clear  brown ;  leave  the  rest  light. 
When  the  jelly  thickens,  but  is  not  quite  set, 
cover  the  galantine  with  it  half  an  inch 
thick.  When  the  jelly  is  cold,  cut  it  into 
what  are  called  croiitons^  which  may  mean 
vandyked  strips,  to  be  laid  across,  triangles, 
squares,  or  any  fancy  shapes ;  the  pieces  and 
trimmings  are  chopped  to  scatter  over  the 
dish  or  lay  in  small  piles  round. 

Ballotines  are  small  galantines  made  by 
treating  small  birds  as  directed  in  last  recipe, 
only  that  the  force-meat  should  have  a  larger 
12 


178  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

proportion  of  truffles,  and  be  made  of  the 
same  kind  of  bird ;  for  instance,  grouse  would 
have  rich  force-meat  of  grouse.  One  grouse, 
however,  would  make  two  or  four  ballotines ; 
quails  make  two,  to  be  served  as  individuals. 
Galantine  of  Breast  of  Veal.  —  Bone  a 
breast  of  young  white  veal  very  carefully, 
spread  it  out  as  flat  as  possible  on  the  board, 
pare  the  meat  at  the  ends  for  about  an  inch 
so  that  the  skin  may  project  beyond.  Take 
all  the  scraps  of  meat  that  may  have  come 
from  boning,  provided  they  are  not  sinewy ; 
take  also  twelve  ounces  of  veal  cutlet,  and 
half  the  quantity  of  fat  unsmoked  bacon. 
Chop  very  fine,  seasoning  all  rather  highly. 
When  the  meat  is  fine,  season  the  inside  of 
the  veal.  Mix  with  the  force-meat  tongue, 
truffles,  and  pistachio-nuts  or  olives,  all  cut 
into  half-inch  dice  (the  tongue  larger).  So 
mix  these  that  they  will  come  at  regular  in- 
tervals through  the  stuffing.  Roll  the  breast 
round  the  stuffing,  which  is  not  spread,  but 
laid  in  a  mass,  and  sew  the  veal  together. 


179 

Fasten  it  up  in  a  cloth,  tie  securely  at  the 
ends,  then  tie  bands  of  tape  round  at  inter- 
vals to  keep  it  in  shape. 

Braise  this  galantine  for  six  hours  in  stock, 
which  may  be  made  of  a  small  knuckle  of 
veal  and  the  bones  and  trimmings.  Vege- 
tables as  directed  for  chicken  galantine. 

Let  the  galantine  be  cold  before  it  is  un- 
tied. Garnish  and  glaze  as  directed  for 
chicken. 

Galantine  is  occasionally  made  of  sucking 
pig,  and  is  very  popular  in  France.  The  pig 
must  be  carefully  boned,  all  but  the  head  and 
feet.  A  sufficient  quantity  of  veal,  of  fat  un- 
smoked  bacon,  and  of  bread  panada  must  be 
chopped  and  pounded  to  make  enough  force- 
meat to  stuff  the  pig  in  the  proportion  of 
one  part  bacon,  two  panada,  and  three  of 
veal,  seasoned  with  a  teaspoonful  of  onion 
juice  and  two  of  powdered  sage. 

The  pig's  liver  must  have  been  boiled  in 
stock,  and  cut  in  dice.  There  must  be  fillets 
or  strips  of  rabbit  or  chicken,  a  few  chopped 


180  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

truffles  and  olives.  Mix  well.  Lay  in  the 
fillets  as  you  stuff  the  pig,  and  when  full  sew 
up  the  opening.  Try  to  keep  the  shape  as 
near  as  possible.  Then  braise  slowly  for 
four  to  five  hours,  as  directed  for  galantine 
of  veal.  Do  not  remove  the  cloth  till  it  is 
cold. 


XX. 

HOW  TO  "  FILLET."— COLD   GAME  PIES. 

I  HAVE  spoken  several  times  of  ''  filleting." 
To  some  readers  an  explanation  of  the  term 
may  be  necessary.  To  "  cut  up "  a  bird 
does  not  indicate  the  meaning,  nor  does  the 
term  "  to  carve  "  it  do  so,  because  to  carve 
means  to  cut  up  or  divide  with  an  exact  ob- 
servance of  joints  and  "cuts."  Filleting, 
when  applied  to  anything  without  bones,  as 
the  breast  of  a  bird  or  boned  fish,  means  to 
cut  into  very  neat  strips  that  are  thicker 
than  slices ;  but  when  you  are  directed  to 
"  fillet "  a  grouse  or  a  chicken,  it  is  intended 
that  you  should  cut  it  into  small  neat  por- 
tions regardless  of  joints  and  without  the 
least  mangling  of  it ;  therefore  a  very  sharp 
knife  must  be  used,  and  either  a  small  sharp 
cleaver   or   a   large    cook's   knife   only   to 


182  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

be  employed  when  a  bone  has  to  be  cut 
through. 

To  Fillet  Cooked  Birds :  Grouse^  Pheasants^ 
or  Poultry. — Cut  the  bird  in  half  straight 
down  the  middle  of  the  breast-bone,  using  a 
large  sharp  knife  for  the  purpose.  Lay  each 
half  on  the  table  and  take  out  the  breast-bone 
from  either  side.  If  the  bird  is  a  large  fowl, 
duck,  or  partridge,  each  breast  Avill  make 
three  fillets,  and  leave  a  good  piece  with  the 
wing,  but  average  birds  only  make  two  breast 
fillets.  Chop  off  the  pinions  within  an  inch 
of  the  meat,  then  cut  the  wing  in  two  neatly ; 
drumsticks  are  to  be  chopped  off  close  to  the 
meat,  and  divided  into  two  fillets  (if  a  large 
chicken  or  duck ;  leave  game  whole) ;  cut  the 
thigh  in  two  also.  Trim  very  neatly ;  leave 
no  hanging  skin ;  indeed,  when  filleting  for 
chaudfroids  the  skin  should  be  entirely  re- 
moved, and  both  it  and  the  leg-bones  are  re- 
moved for  pies.  When  possible,  it  is  better 
not  to  use  the  drumsticks.  From  a.  chicken 
they  make  an  admirable  "  devil,"  and  from 


COLD   GAME   PIES.  183 

game  they  help  the  bones  and  trimmings  to 
make  a  rich  gravy ;  so  it  is  no  waste  to  dis- 
card them. 

Cold  pies  are  of  two  kinds :  the  one  cooked 
in  a  terrine  or  dish  without  pastry ;  the  other 
in  what  the  English  call  a  "  raised  paste," 
and  the  French  Sbpdte  chaude.  Those  with 
paste — w^hich  is  seldom  eaten — are  far  hand- 
somer, but  do  not  keep  so  well — that  is  to 
say,  they  must  be  eaten  within  three  or  four 
days  even  in  winter ;  while  in  a  terrine  care- 
fully kept  in  a  cool  airy  place  the  pie  will  be 
good  at  the  end  of  three  weeks. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  pie  in  a  terrine 
is  much  less  trouble  to  make.  Proceed  as 
follows : 

Game  Pie. — Make  some  force-meat  thus : 
Fry  a  quarter  of  a  pound  of  fat  ham  cut  in 
dice  with  half  a  pound  of  lean  veal.  Take 
the  ham  up  before  it  gets  brown,  as  you  do 
not  need  it  crisp ;  when  the  veal  is  cooked 
take  that  up  also,  and  if  there  is  enough  of 
the  ham  fat  in  the  pan,  put  in  half  a  pound 


184  CHOICE    COOKERY. 

of  calf's  liver  cut  up  in  dice,  if  not,  saute  it  in 
butter.  In  sauteing  all  these  they  must  be 
often  stirred,  as  you  want  them  well  cooked 
and  yet  not  very  brown.  When  done  they 
must  be  finely  chopped,  then  pounded  in  a 
mortar,  with  a  small  teaspoonf ul  of  salt,  and 
half  a  saltspoonful  of  pepper.  Then  add 
a  dozen  mushrooms  chopped,  and  mix  the 
whole. 

A  game  pie  is  usually  made  rather  large, 
and  the  greater  variety  of  game  used,  the 
better ;  partridge,  pheasant,  grouse,  hare,  all 
help  one  another,  but  at  least  two  kinds  are 
necessary.  It  must  be  boned  and  neatly  fil 
leted  into  small  joints.  Put  on  all  the  bones 
and  trimmings  to  stew  in  three  pints,  of  wa 
ter,  with  a  good-sized  carrot,  onion,  a  stick 
of  celery,  a  small  bouquet,  a  clove,  a  tea- 
spoonful  of  sugar,  one  of  salt,  and  a  little 
pe23per;  boil  all  this  until  the  bones  look 
white  and  dry  when  out  of  the  stock.  Strain, 
and  reduce  by  rapid  boiling  to  a  half -glaze ; 
put  a  layer  of  the  force-meat  at  the  bottom 


COLD  GAME    PIES.  185 

of  the  dish,  then  one  of  boned  game,  with  a 
sprinkhng  of  pepper  and  salt,  and  either  a 
little  finely  chopped  parsley  or,  what  is  far 
better,  a  few  thin  slices,  of  truffles ;  pour  over 
a  little  of  the  reduced  stock ;  fill  the  dish  in 
this  way  to  within  an  inch  of  the  top ;  make 
a  plain  flour-and-water  paste,  lay  it  on  the 
pie,  and  make  a  hole  in  the  centre,  bake 
slowly  in  a  pan  of  hot  water.  When  cold, 
remove  the  paste,  cover  the  top  w^ith  chopped 
aspic,  fold  a  napkin,  and  serve  the  terrine  on 
it,  with  a  wreath  of  parsley  round  the  base. 
Game  pie  is  not  a  dish  to  be  eaten  at  one  or 
even  two  meals  (unless  very  small),  therefore 
the  aspic  must  be  fresh  each  time  it  is  served. 
French  Method  of  Making  a  Game  Pie  or 
Pate  Chaude. — Make  a  paste  of  two  pounds 
of  flour  and  one  of  lard  or  butter,  with  salt 
to  taste  and  about  half  a  pint  of  Avater; 
knead  it  into  a  smooth,  rather  hard  paste ; 
put  it  into  a  damp  napkin  for  an  hour.  But- 
ter a  raised  pie  dish — a  tin  one  that  opens  to 
release  the  pie — line  it  with  the  paste  rolled 


186  CHOICE    COOKERY. 

half  an  inch  thick,  letting  it  come  half  an 
inch  above  the  dish ;  line  the  inside  of  the 
paste  with  buttered  paper,  bottom  and  sides, 
and  fill  with  rice  or  corn  meal;  cover  with 
another  piece  of  buttered  paper,  wet  the  top 
of  the  pastry  all  round,  and  lay  a  cover  of 
thin  pastry  over  it ;  trim  very  neatly,  make 
a  hole  in  the  centre,  and  ornament  with 
leaves  cut  from  the  paste  and  laid  on ;  the 
under  side  should  be  slightly  moistened  to 
make  them  adhere.  Brush  the  surface  with 
well-beaten  egg,  and  bake  about  an  hour, 
when  it  should  be  a  nice  golden  brown. 
Take  off  the  cover;  after  it  has  slightly 
cooled,  remove  the  rice  or  meal  and  the  but- 
tered paper ;  take  the  case  from  the  mould, 
and  brush  it  all  over  with  egg  inside  and 
out ;  set  it  in  the  oven  until  the  glazing  dries, 
and  any  part  that  may  not  be  sujBiciently 
brown  becomes  the  color  of  the  cover,  which, 
being  glazed  at  first,  is  not  returned  to  the 
oven. 

Preparation  for  Filling  the  Case.  —  Fillet 


COLD   GAME  PIES.  187 

chickens,  guinea-hens,  partridges,  or  grouse 
(leave  pigeons  or  quails  whole,  but  bone 
them).  Put  suiScient  pieces  of  one  sort,  or 
all  sorts  mixed,  to  fill  the  pate  chaude  case 
into  a  saute  pan,  with  two  ounces  of  butter, 
and  saute  till  lightly  colored.  Take  them 
out,  and  put  them  in  a  stewpan  with  a  quart 
of  reduced  consomme,  half  a  pint  of  mush- 
rooms sliced,  a  dozen  truffles  cut  into  dice 
(half -inch),  a  teaspoonf ul  of  salt,  a  little  pep- 
per, and  a  wineglass  of  sherry,  and  let  them 
simmer  very  gently,  7iot  hoil,  for  half  an  hour, 
or  until  very  tender.  Let  them  cool,  and 
when  lukewarm  arrange  them  in  the  pate 
case,  leaving  the  centre  hollow,  which  fill 
with  mushrooms  and  truffles.  The  liquor  in 
which  they  Avere  stewed  must  be  then  poured 
over  them.  The  cover  of  a  pate  chaude  case 
is  often  not  used,  and  aspic  jelly  covers  the 
top  of  the  pie. 

English  Manner  of  Making  Game  Pie  in 
a  Crust. — Use  at  least  two  kinds  of  game, 
which  for  this  purpose  must  not  be  long  kept; 


188  CHOICE   COOKEEY. 

high  game  is  acceptable  to  epicures  when 
roasted  or  stewed,  but  never  in  a  pie.  Dis- 
card all  parts  blackened  by  shot.  Cut  into 
neat  joints,  from  which  bones  must  be  re- 
moved. Take  all  the  fragments  from  the 
carcass  after  the  breast  and  joints  are  re- 
moved, and  the  flesh  of  a  small  bird  or  hare, 
or,  failing  that,  some  calf's  liver  fried  in  dice ; 
pound  whichever  you  may  have  for  force- 
meat in  a  mortar  with  four  ounces  of  bacon 
that  has  been  boiled ;  when  the  whole  forms 
a  paste  (from  which  you  have  removed  all 
strings,  sinew,  or  gristle  while  pounding), 
season  with  pepper  and  salt — a  teaspoonful 
of  salt  to  a  pound  of  force-meat,  and  a.  scant 
half  saltspoonful  of  pepper.  Put  on  the 
bones,  icithout  vegetables,  in  cold  water  to 
simmer  until  it  is  a  rich  broth,  which  strain, 
and  boil  rapidly  till  a  little  set  on  ice  in  a 
saucer  will  jelly.  Make  what  is  called 
"  raised  "  paste  in  the  following  Avay :  To 
two  pounds  of  flour  use  three  quarters  of  a 
pound  of  butter  and  half  a  pint  of  scalding 


COLD   GAME    PIES.  189 

milk;  pour  this  into  a  hole  in  the  centre  of 
the  flour,  and  knead  into  a  firm  paste,  adding 
a  little  more  milk  if  necessary  (but  it  seldom 
is).  This  paste  is  not  to  be  rolled,  but  beaten 
out  with  the  hand  while  warm  to  half  an 
inch  thickness.  Line  a  well-buttered  meat- 
pie  mould,  with  a  hinge  opening  at  the  side ; 
leave  hajf  an  inch  of  paste  above  the  mould ; 
trim  off  neatly  with  scissors.  Then  lay  in 
the  game  and  force-meat  in  alternate  layers, 
seasoning  the  joints  with  pepper  and  salt  as 
you  lay  them.  A  few  slices  of  tongue  and 
truffles  to  form  one  layer  are  desirable. 
When  the  mould  is  full,  lay  on  the  cover, 
moisten  the  under  edge,  and  pinch  round  in 
tiny  scallops.  Make  a  hole  in  the  centre, 
round  which  put  an  ornament;  stick  in  a 
bone  to  prevent  the  hole  closing,  and  bake 
two  to  four  hours  in  a  moderate  oven,  ac- 
cording to  size,  remembering  alwaj^s  that 
the  crust  will  not  be  injured  by  long  baking, 
and  that  the  game  in  this  pie  is  uncooked. 
"When  it  is  removed  from  the  oven,  let  it 


190  CHOICE    COOKERY. 

stand  half  an  hour,  taking  the  mould  off, 
that  it  may  cool ;  then  brush  the  sides  and 
top  with  an  egg  beaten  with  milk,  and  re- 
turn the  pie  to  the  oven  that  the  sides  may 
brown ;  cover  the  top,  if  it  is  already  highly 
colored,  with  a  sheet  of  paper.  Kemove  the 
bone  from  the  centre,  insert  a  small  funnel, 
and  after  removing  all  fat  from  it,  pour  in 
the  gravy  from  the  bones.  The  gravy  must 
be  poured  very  slowly  or  it  will  bubble  up, 
and  care  must  be  taken  to  have  all  the  pie 
will  hold,  yet  not  a  drop  too  much,  or  it  Avill 
ooze  somewhere.  These  pies,  when  quite 
cold,  may  be  sent  any  distance,  and  are  much 
used  in  England  and  Scotland  for  hunting- 
parties,  besides  being  a  standard  breakfast 
and  luncheon  dish.  The  crust  is  merely  a 
frame  to  hold  the  game. 


XXI. 

GARNISHES. 

In  all  choice  cookery  the  appearance  of 
dishes  has  to  be  carefully  studied.  However 
good  the  taste  may  be,  the  effect  will  be 
spoiled  if  its  appearance  on  the  table  does 
not  come  up  to  the  expectation  raised  by  the 
name  on.  the  menu.  For  this  reason  the  sub- 
ject of  garnishes  requires  to  be  considered 
apart  from  the  dishes  they  adorn.  In  the 
old  time  garnishes  were  few  and  simple,  and 
when  not  simple,  very  ugly,  as  the  camellias 
cut  from  turnips  and  stained  with  beet  juice. 
N^owadays  garnishes  are  many,  and  many  so 
termed  form  part  of  the  dish,  as  what  are 
termed,  "  floating  garnishes  for  soup,"  que- 
nelles, etc.  Garnishes  that  are  merely  orna- 
mental need  not  be  so  expensively  made  as 
those  intended  for  eating.     Foremost  among 


193  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

fashionable  floating  garnishes  for  soup  are 
the  colored  custards  known  as  pate  royale ; 
they  are  perfectly  easy  to  make,  yet  very  ef- 
fective served  in  clear  bouillon. 

Colored  Custard.  —  Prepare  the  custard 
with  five  yolks  of  eggs,  a  gill  of  cream  or 
strong  bouillon,  and  a  pinch  of  salt ;  butter 
small  saucers  or  cups ;  divide  the  custard  in 
three — color  one  with  spinach  juice  or  pulp 
of  green  asparagus,  another  with  red  tomato 
pulp  or  the  pulp  of  red  carrot  boiled,  and  a 
third  with  pulp  of  beets.  A  few  drops  of  co- 
chineal may  be  added  to  intensify  the  color 
of  the  last,  which  is  apt  to  be  a  beautiful 
pink  instead  of  red.  The  custard  for  which 
pulps  are  used  must  be  strained  after  they 
are  added,  expressing  as  much  of  the  juice  as 
possible.  The  custard  should  be  flavored 
delicately  with  the  vegetable  used  for  color. 

Sjpinach  Juice  is  very  frequently  directed 
to  be  used  as  coloring,  but  scarcely  anywhere 
is  any  indication  given  that  the  juice  without 
preparation  is  of  very  little  use.     It  should 


GARNISHES.  193 

be  prepared  as  follows :  Take  a  large  hand- 
ful of  fresh  green  spinach,  wash  it,  and  re- 
move decayed  leaves  only ;  drain  well,  then 
pound  in  a  mortar  or  chopping-bowl  until 
quite  mashed.  Let  it  stand  a  quarter  of  an 
hour,  then  squeeze  the  mass  in  a  cloth,  and 
put  the  green  water  into  a  cup,  which  set 
over  the  fire  in  a  small  saucepan  of  water; 
watch  the  scum  rise ;  w^hen  it  stands  quite 
thick  at  the  top  and  turns  a  vivid  green,  re- 
move at  once  (if  it  remains  on  the  fire  after 
this  the  green  darkens);  pour  the  contents 
of  the  cup  through  cheese-cloth  or  thin  mus- 
lin laid  in  a  strainer.  The  scum  that  re- 
mains is  your  coloring  matter.  It  must  be 
carefully  scraped  oif  with  a  spoon,  and  mix 
with  the  custard  only  as  much  as  is  required 
to  give  a  delicate  green  tint.  If  any  is  left 
it  may  be  mixed  with  an  equal  quantity  of 
salt  and  put  away ;  it  loses  color,  however, 
after  a  few  days. 

The  colored  custards  must  be  set  in  water, 
a  small  piece  of  buttered  paper  over  each, 
13 


194  CHOICE    COOKERY. 

and  the  water  allowed  to  boil  gently  round 
them  till  they  are  firm.  Let  them  get  quite 
cold ;  then  cut  them  into  cubes  or  diamonds. 

Profiterolles. — Perhaps  the  next  in  jDopu- 
larity  of  these  floating  garnishes  dive  profite- 
rolles^ or  "  prophet's  rolls,"  as  cooks  call  them. 
They  are  made  exactly  like  those  intended 
for  dessert,  omitting  sweetening  of  course, 
and  a  very  small  quantity  is  required,  as  they 
must  be  dropped  no  larger  than  a  pea,  and 
baked  2,  pale  fawn-color. 

Put  a  gill  of  water  and  a  pinch  of  salt  and 
two  ounces  of  butter  in  a  small  Saucepan ;  as 
soon  as  they  begin  to  boil  draw  the  sauce- 
pan back  and  stir  in  four  ounces  of  flour; 
beat  well  over  the  fire  with  a  wooden  spoon 
until  it  becomes  a  soft  paste,  then  add  the 
yolks  of  two  eggs  and  white  of  one,  beating- 
each  yolk  in  separately.  It  will  be  seen  that 
the  paste  is  similar  to  that  made  for  cream 
cakes. 

A  similar  garnish  is  made  in  the  following 
way :  Beat  an  o^gg  with  a  pinch  of  salt,  and 


GARNISHES.  195 

then  stir  in  as  much  dry  sifted  flour  as  the 
egg  will  moisten;  work  it  well  with  the 
hands  till  it  is  elastic,  although  stiff.  Roll  it 
on  a  pastry  board  until  it  is  as  thin  as  paper, 
then  roll  it  on  a  clean  linen  cloth  still  thin- 
ner, and  leave  it  a  quarter  of  an  hour  to  dry. 
Then  fold  the  paste,  press  it  very  tightly  to- 
gether, and  with  a  tin  cylinder,  not  larger 
in  diameter  than  a  cent,  cut  out,  with  consid- 
erable pressure,  as  many  small  disks  as  you 
require  to  allow  five  or  six  to  each  plate  of 
soup.  Have  ready  in  a  small  saucepan  some 
smohing  hot  lard.  Drop  the  disks  in ;  they 
will  puff  and  swell  till  they  are  like  marbles. 
Stir  them,  and  take  them  out  of  the  fat ; 
they  require  only  a  few  seconds  to  brown, 
and  must  be  taken  out  very  pale.  Add  to 
the  soup  the  last  thing  before  serving. 

While  aspic  jelly  is  certainly  the  hand- 
somest of  garnishes  for  cold  dishes,  it  is  gen- 
erally part  of  the  food  itself,  and  should  not 
be  so  lavishly  used  that  when  helped  there 
is  more  jelly  than  meat  served.     Where  the 


196  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

jelly  is  intended  only  for  a  garnish  not  to  be 
eaten,  simple  gelatine  is  sufficient.  For  in- 
stance, a  large  platter  containing  a  galan- 
tine or  a  chaiidfroid  may  have  a  handsome 
wreath  glued  on  the  border,  of  red  and  green 
leaves,  or  holly  leaves  and  red  berries,  or  any 
device  that  need  not  be  disturbed  by  the 
carver. 

For  such  decorations  as  these  gelatine  is 
melted  in  proportion  of  three  ounces  to  a 
scant  quart  of  water,  cleared  Avith  white  of 
egg,  and  then  colored  pale  yellow  with  car- 
amel or  saffron,  vivid  red  with  cochineal, 
and  bright  green  with  spinach ;  it  saves  time 
and  trouble  to  let  this  congeal  on  dishes  in 
thin  sheets.  Small  cutters  of  ivy,  oak,  and 
other  leaves  can  readily  be  purchased  at  the 
large  house-furnishing  stores. 

One  word  here  about  uneatable  decorations, 
never  admit  them  at  a  children's  party ;  they 
are  the  very  part  of  the  feast  the  little  peo- 
ple will  most  crave ;  red  leaves  for  them  must 
be  of  red  currant-jelly,  yellow  of  white,  etc. 


GARNISHES.  197 

"  Forced  butter  "is  another  form  of  gar- 
nish which  adds  much  to  the  appearance  of 
glazed  ham  or  tongue.  It  is  butter  beaten 
to  a  white  cream,  then  put  in  a  forcer,  and  a 
pattern  traced  on  the  ham^  which  must  be 
followed  just  as  in  icing  a  cake. 

A  Few  Ways  of  Cooking  YegetaUes. — It  is 
not  intended  to  go  into  the  general  cooking 
of  vegetables,  although  it  may  be  said  that 
even  the  choicest  cooking  can  offer  no  great- 
er luxury,  or,  alas !  a  greater  rarity,  than  a 
dish  of  early  peas  or  asparagus  perfectly 
cooked.  But  this  is  not  the  place  to  remedy 
the  wholesale  spoiling  of  summer  vegetables 
that  goes  on  in  almost  every  kitchen.  I  will 
only  give  what  may  be  a  few  new  ways  of 
preparing  familiar  vegetables. 

Stuffed  Artichokes. — Wash  the  artichokes ; 
boil  till  nearly  tender ;  drain  them ;  remove 
the  middle  leaves  and  "  chokes  "  (this  is  the 
fibrous  part  round  the  base) ;  lay  in  each  a 
little  rich  force-meat,  and  put  them  in  the 
oven  to  cook  until  the  meat  is  done.  Serve 
with  rich  brown  gravy. 


198  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

Fried  Artichokes.  —  Cut  in  slices  length- 
wise ;  remove  the  chokes,  cut  off  the  tops  of 
the  leaves,  wash  them  in  vinegar  and  water, 
drain  them,  and  dip  them  in  frying  batter. 
Fry  in  very  hot  oil  or  lard.  Serve  with  fried 
parsley  sprinkled  with  salt. 

Beetroot  Fritters.  —  Cut  boiled  beets  in 
slices ;  slice  raw  onions ;  scald  them ;  dry 
them  well;  then  lay  one  slice  of  onion, 
sprinkled  Avith  chopped  chervil,  pepper,  and 
salt,  between  two  slices  of  beet.  Dip  them 
carefully  in  frying  batter,  and  plunge  into 
boiling  fat ;  when  pale  brown  take  them  up. 

Cauliflower  Fritters.  —  Parboil  the  cauli- 
flower— that  is  to  say,  boil  until  it  begins  to 
be  tender — about  fifteen  minutes ;  then  plunge 
it  into  ice-cold  water;  this  keeps  it  white. 
Break  it  up  into  branches.  Dip  each  one 
into  thick  bechamel  sauce  slightly  warmed ; 
let  them  get  cold ;  then  take  each  piece 
separately  and  dip  it  into  carefully  made  fry- 
ing batter,  and  drop  them  into  boiling  lard ; 
fry  a  pale  brown,  and  serve  garnished  with 
fried  parsley. 


XXII. 

VARIOUS  WAYS  OF  SERVING  VEGETABLES. 

Stuffed  Cucumbers. — Cut  large-sized  young 
cucumbers  into  slices  about  two  inches  thick, 
rejecting  the  ends.  Peel,  and  remove  the 
seeds ;  scald  the  slices  for  ten  minutes,  plunge 
them  into  cold  water,  and  drain  them.  Line 
a  fire-proof  china  dish  with  very  thin  slices 
of  unsmoked  bacon  which  has  been  scalded ; 
make  some  veal  force-meat  such  as  directed 
for  galantines ;  fill  the  holes  in  the  centre  of 
the  rings  of  cucumber  till  it  is  level  with  the 
surface  on  both  sides ;  Avrap  each  up  in  a  slice 
of  bacon  broad  enough  to  cover  it.  Tie  round 
with  a  string,  pour  a  pint  of  strong  stock  into 
the  dish,  and  bake  twenty  minutes  in  a  slow 
oven.  When  done,  take  up  the  cucumber, 
drain,  and  remove  the  bacon  carefully  so  as 
not  to  disturb  the  stuffing.  Lay  in  a  dish, 
and  serve  w^ith  Robert  sauce. 


200  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

In  the  following  recipes  the  mushrooms  to 
be  used  are  the  large  flap  ones.  "When  canned 
ones  will  serve,  the  fact  will  be  stated. 

Mushrooms  Stuffed  d  la  Lucullus. — Wash, 
dry,  and  trim  large  mushrooms ;  chop  u])  the 
stalks  and  broken  ones  fine  with  a  teaspoon- 
ful  of  minced  parsley,  pepper,  salt,  and  a 
tomato ;  make  these  hot  in  a  tablespoonful 
of  butter.  Fill  the  mushrooms  with  the  mixt- 
ure, place  them  on  a  buttered  baking -dish, 
and  bake  six  minutes,  basting  them  once  or 
twice  with  clarified  butter. 

Mushrooms  and  Tomatoes.  —  Toast  some 
slices  of  bread,  cut  them  into  rounds  two 
inches  in  diameter,  and  butter  them.  Peel 
some  firm  tomatoes,  cut  them  into  thick  slices, 
and  lay  them  on  the  toast.  On  the  top  of 
each  place  a  peeled  mushroom.  Put  them  on 
a  dish  that  can  go  to  table,  pour  a  little  clari- 
fied butter  over  them,  put  them  in  a  hot  oven 
for  three  minutes,  and  baste  well.  Serve  hot 
and  quickly. 

Mushroom  Jelly.  —  Take  two  pounds  of 


VAEIOUS  WAYS   OF  SERVING  VEGETABLES.     201 

mushrooms,  put  them  in  a  stewpan  over  the 
fire  with  a  gill  of  strong  consomme.  Squeeze 
in  a  few  drops  of  lemon  juice,  add  a  little 
pepper  and  salt,  unless  the  consomme  was 
salt  enough.  Melt  in  a  gill  of  water  half  an 
ounce  of  gelatine,  and  strain  it.  When  the 
mushrooms  are  quite  soft,  pass  them  through 
a  sieve,  mixed  with  the  gelatine,  and  pour 
the  mixture  into  a  mould  which  has  been 
rinsed  with  water.  When  set,  turn  out  and 
garnish  with  finely  chopped  aspic,  and  a  few 
cherry  tomatoes  if  in  season. 

Mushroom  Baskets.  —  Make  some  puff- 
paste  ;  roll  it  out  very  thin.  Line  some  small 
suitably  shaped  moulds  (darioles  will  do  very 
nicely) ;  fill  the  centre  with  uncooked  rice  or 
flour  to  keep  the  shape  while  baking;  cut 
some  strips  of  paste,  twist  them,  and  bend 
them  into  the  shape  of  handles ;  bake  them 
very  pale.  When  the  pastry  cases  are  done, 
empty  out  the  rice,  remove  them  from  the 
moulds,  and  fill  with  the  following  mixture : 
chop  as  many  canned  mushrooms  as  you  re- 


202  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

quire  with  a  small  shallot,  squeeze  to  them 
the  juice  and  pulp  of  a  large  tomato,  and  put 
them  in  a  stcAvpan  with  a  tablespoonful  of 
butter  and  a  tablespoonful  of  very  thick  white 
sauce.  Stir  till  about  the  consistency  to  eat 
with  a  fork.  Squeeze  a  few  drops  of  lemon 
juice  over  the  top.  Put  the  handles  in  so  that 
they  stand  over  the  tops.  Decorate  with  fried 
parsley. 

The  large  Spanish  or  Portuguese  onion  that 
has  of  late  years  appeared  in  the  markets  is 
not  often  properly  cooked.  It  is  the  most 
delicate  and  delicious  of  all  onions,  lacking 
the  usual  intense  heat  and  rank  odor.  For 
this  reason  persons  who  wish  to  eat  onions, 
either  for  health  or  inclination,  will  find  this 
large  onion  cut  up  with  ordinary  salad  dress- 
ing a  great  improvement  even  on  Bermudas. 
This  onion  is  full  of  a  milky  juice,  which  is 
lost  in  cooking  if  it  is  cut.  Therefore,  where 
a  simple  dish  is  required,  the  best  way  is  to 
boil  it,  without  peeling  or  trimming,  for  three 
hours  if  it  weighs  three  pounds  (it  must  be 


VAEIOUS  WAYS  OF  SERVING  VEGETABLES.     203 

tender  right  through) ;  then  take  it  up,  strip 
it,  and  remove  the  root,  stalk,  etc.  Pour 
over  it  a  rich  white  sauce,  and  serve,  taking 
care  that  the  gravy  that  runs  from  the  onion 
is  served  w^ith  it.  A  still  better  way  when 
an  oven  is  not  wanted  is  to  bake  them.  Put 
them  in  a  dripping-pan  in  the  oven  without 
removing  peel  or  stalk.  Bake  at  least  four 
hours  in  a  moderate  oven.  It  will  burn  and 
blacken  outside,  which  is  of  no  consequence. 
Keep  it  turned  so  that  the  darkening  may 
not  go  deeper  one  side  than  the  other.  When 
quite  tender  (but  do  not  try  it  until  it  begins 
to  shrink,  or  you  will  let  out  the  juices),  so 
that  a  knitting-needle  will  run  through  it, 
take  it  out  of  the  oven,  strip  off  three  or  four 
skins,  remove  root  and  stalk,  and  place  the 
onion,  without  breaking  it,  on  a  dish ;  put  a 
piece  of  butter  as  large  as  an  egg,  with  a  salt- 
spoonful  of  salt  and  a  quarter  one  of  pepper 
worked  in  it,  on  the  onion  ;  cover  it,  and  put 
in  the  oven  till  the  butter  melts,  and  serve 
very  hot. 


204  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

Stuffed  Spanish  Onion. — Parboil  a  Spanish 
onion ;  then  drop  it  into  ice-Avater ;  take  out 
the  centre  and  fill  it  with  force-meat ;  cover 
with  a  thin  slice  of  sweet  fat  pork  ;  sprinkle 
with  a  teaspoonful  of  salt  and  the  same  of 
sugar ;  add  four  tablespoonf uls  of  stock,  cover 
closely,  and  cook  over  a  good  fire.  When 
the  onion  is  tender,  take  it  up,  remove  the 
pork,  strain  and  skim  the  gravy,  pour  it  over, 
and  serve.  The  best  force-meat  for  the  stuff- 
ing is  made  of  cold  chicken,  a  shred  of  boiled 
ham,  a  little  chopped  parsley,  half  a  dozen 
mushrooms,  all  chopped  well  and  mixed  with 
a  tablespoonf ul  of  butter  and  pepper  and  salt. 

Potatoes  a  la  Provengale. — Mash  and  pass 
through  a  wire  sieve  two  pounds  of  potatoes ; 
season  with  pepper  and  salt.  Grate  two 
ounces  of  Gruyere  (Swiss)  cheese,  pound  it 
with  enough  butter  to  make  a  paste,  add  a 
gill  of  milk  and  a  teaspoonful  of  chopped 
parsley ;  put  this  in  a  saute  pan,  add  the  po- 
tato, mix  all  well,  and  stir  until  the  mass  is 
pale  brown  ;  serve  as  a  pyramid. 


VAEIOUS  WAYS   OF  SERVING  VEGETABLES.     205 

Milanese  Potatoes. — Bake  large  potatoes 
till  just  tender;  cut  off  the  tops,  which  keep. 
Scoop  out  the  potatoes,  but  do  not  break  the 
skin.  Mash  the  inside  with  butter,  pepper, 
salt,  and  grated  Parmesan ;  about  a  teaspoon- 
ful  of  butter  and  cheese  to  each  will  be  the 
right  proportion.  Beat  the  potato  mixture 
with  a  fork  for  a  minute  to  make  it  light, 
refill  the  skins,  put  on  the  covers,  and  heat 
them  in  the  oven. 

Scalloped  Potatoes. — Mash  two  pounds  of 
potatoes  with  milk,  and  pass  through  a  sieve ; 
add  three  ounces  of  butter  melted,  two 
ounces  of  grated  Parmesan  cheese,  and  a  lit- 
tle pepper  and  salt.  Fill  shells  with  this  mixt- 
ure, and  brown  them  in  the  oven.  Glaze 
them  over  w^ith  butter  melted  and  grated 
Parmesan ;  return  one  minute  to  the  hottest 
part  of  the  oven.     Serve  very  hot. 

Tomato  Jelly. — Two  pounds  of  tomatoes, 
half  a  grain  of  red  pepper,  and  two  small 
shallots.  Place  them  in  a  stewpan  and 
boil  till  quite  soft.     Melt  half  an  ounce  of 


206  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

gelatine  in  as  little  white  stock  as  possible ; 
add  this  to  the  tomatoes,  and  strain ;  if  not 
perfectly  clear,  clarify  with  white  of  egg 
in  the  usual  way.  Mould,  and  serve  with 
chopped  aspic  round  it.  A  little  grated 
Parmesan  may  be  sometimes  sprinkled  over 
it  for  a  change. 

Tomato  Souffle.  —  Prepare  some  tomato 
pulp,  taking  care  to  boil  it  down  if  too  liquid ; 
stir  in  the  yolks  of  three  eggs,  then  the  whites 
well  beaten ;  salt  to  taste.  Fill  either  a  large 
souffle  case  or  several  small  ones.  Bake  in  a 
hot  oven  till  it  rises  very  high  and  is  set  in 
the  centre ;  serve  instantly. 

/Spinach  Fritters. — Boil  the  spinach  till  it 
is  quite  tender;  drain,  press,  and  mince  it 
fine ;  add  half  the  quantity  of  grated  stale 
bread,  one  grate  of  nutmeg,  and  a  small  tea- 
spoonful  of  sugar;  add  a  gill  of  cream  and 
as  many  eggs  as  will  make  a  batter,  beat- 
ing the  whites  separately;  pepper  and  salt 
to  taste.  Drop  a  little  from  a  spoon  into 
boiling  lard ;   if  it  separates,  add  a  little 


VARIOUS  WAYS  OF  SERVING  VEGETABLES.     207 

more  crumb  of  bread;  when  they  rise  to 
the  surface  of  the  fat  they  are  done.  Drain 
them,  and  serve  very  quickly,  or  they  will 
faU. 


XXIII. 

JELLIES. 

In  this  country  culinary  skill  seems  to  run 
to  sweet  rather  than  to  savory  cooking ;  very 
few  housekeepers  but  make  excellent  pre- 
serves and  cakes,  yet  the  list  of  sweet  dishes 
manufactured  at  home  is  very  limited;  as 
soon  as  anything  not  in  this  category  is  re- 
quired the  caterer  is  applied  to,  and  he  has 
his  list  of  water-ices,  cream -ices,  and  me- 
ringues, with  very  little  variation ;  some- 
times, indeed,  a  new  name  appears  on  the 
list,  but  it  turns  out  to  be  some  old  friend 
with  a  new  garnish,  or  put  in  a  different 
mould  and  given  an  alluring  name.  There 
are  many  delicious  sweet  dishes  not  difficult 
to  make  when  once  the  processes  of  making 
jelly  and  of  freezing  are  understood  (and  very 
many  who  do  not  pretend  to  be  good  cooks 


JELLIES.  209 

are  expert  at  these  two  things),  and  others 
which  do  not  require  even  that  abihty.  To 
put  a  sweet  dish  on  the  table,  hoAvever,  in 
perfection,  especially  if  it  be  an  iced  one,  re- 
quires the  utmost  care  and  skill ;  the  slight- 
est carelessness  in  packing  a  frozen  pudding, 
any  delay  between  removing  it  from  the  ice 
and  getting  it  on  the  dish,  will  destroy  that 
dull,  marble-like  appearance  it  ought  to  wear 
when  first  it  maizes  its  entry,  although  it  will 
gleam  with  melting  sweetness  long  before  it 
reaches  the  partakers.  Happily  there  are 
many  delightful  sweets  which  are  beautiful 
in  appearance  and  less  depending  on  atmos- 
phere than  any  of  the  family  of  ices.  The 
simplest  of  these  are  fruit  jellies. 

I  spoke  just  now  of  the  art  of  making  jelly, 
and  many  readers  may  think  in  using  such  a 
term  for  so  simple  a  thing  I  am  exaggerating, 
and  perhaps  "  art "  is  hardly  the  word,  yet 
there  is  a  daintiness  and  nicety  in  making 
jelly  which  almost  deserves  the  term. 

However,  before  talking  of  how  sweet  dish- 
U 


210  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

es  are  to  be  made  it  is  necessary  to  provide 
the  means  by  which  they  are  to  be  redeemed 
from  the  commonplace  of  mere  richness  and 
sweetness.  The  flavorings  and  liqueurs  keep 
indefinitely  if  well  corked.  Orange-flower 
w^ater,  it  is  true,  w^ll  lose  strength,  but  when 
a  bottle  is  first  opened,  if  it  is  poured  off  into 
small  vials,  and  each  one  corked  and  sealed, 
it  will  keep  its  original  strength.  The  fol- 
lowing list  of  articles  kept  in  store  will  ena- 
ble a  cook  to  give  her  cakes,  creams,  etc., 
just  that  "  foreign  "  flavor  that  home  prod- 
ucts so  often  lack:  almonds,  almond  paste, 
candied  cherries,  candied  angelica,  candied 
orange,  lemon,  and  citron  peels,  pistachio- 
nuts,  orange-flower  water,  rose-water,  pre- 
pared cochineal,  maraschino,  ratafia,  lemons, 
extract  of  vanilla,  and  sherry. 

Several  of  these  things  are  used  principally 
for  decoration ;  for  instance,  the  candied  cher- 
ries and  angelica  and  the  pistachio-nuts.  Con- 
sequently, unless  the  cherries  and  angelica 
are  required  for  dessert  (to  which  they  are  a 


JELLIES.  211 

showy  and  delicious  addition),  a  quarter  of  a 
pound  at  a  time  is  all  that  need  be  bought. 
Yery  likely  in  small  cities  or  country  places 
these  latter  articles  may  not  be  obtainable. 
But  they  are  sold  at  the  large  city  caterers', 
also  at  the  stores  which  deal  in  French  crys- 
tallized fruits — not  French  candy  stores — and 
can  always  be  sent  by  mail. 

The  vanilla  should  be  of  the  finest  quality, 
and  had  better  be  bought  by  the  ounce  or 
half-pint  from  the  druggist  than  from  the 
grocer.  There  are  good  extracts  put  up,  no 
doubt,  but  very  many  of  them  are  largely 
made  of  tonka-bean,  the  flavor  familiar  in 
cheap  ice-cream,  in  place  of  the  more  expen- 
sive vanilla. 

In  the  recipes  that  will  be  given  the  direc- 
tions will  be  as  minute  as  possible ;  but  to 
prescribe  the  number  of  drops  required  to 
flavor  a  quart  of  cream  would  be  utterly  im- 
possible, the  strength  of  the  flavoring  used 
differing  so  greatly,  even  in  lemons.  Some- 
times the  juice  of  half  a  lemon  will  be  right 


212  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

for  a  certain  thing,  at  another  the  juice  of  a 
quarter  of  one  would  be  too  much.  This  is 
where  judgment  must  be  exercised.  If  you 
have  a  very  juicy  lemon,  although  your  rec- 
ipe says  the  juice  of  half,  you  will  remember 
that  the  average  lemon  would  not  yield  near- 
ly so  much,  and  that  the  author  had  the  av- 
erage lemon  in  mind.  This  applies  to  all  fla- 
voring. Sometimes  extract  of  bitter  almond 
is  so  strong  that  even  a  drop  would  be  too 
much  to  impart  the  faint  almond  flavor  which 
alone  is  tolerable.  In  this  case  the  thing  to 
do  for  fear  of  spoiling  the  dish  is  to  pour  a 
half-dozen  drops  in  a  teaspoonful  of  water, 
and  use  from  that,  drop  by  drop,  until  the 
faint  flavor  desired  is  attained.  In  using 
any  flavoring,  great  care  must  be  taken  not 
to  put  too  much,  as  anything  in  the  least 
over-flavored  is  offensive. 

Mould  of  Apple  Jelly. — Peel  and  cut  up  a 
pound  of  fine-flavored  apples  (to  Aveigh  a 
pound  after  preparation) ;  put  them  in  a  stew- 
pan  with  three  ounces  of  granulated  sugar, 


JELLIES.  213 

half  a  pint  of  water,  and  the  juice  and  grated 
rind  of  a  lemon.  When  cooked  to  a  pulp, 
pass  through  a  strainer,  and  stir  in  one  ounce 
of  gelatine  that  has  been  dissolved  in  a  gill 
of  water.  Color  half  the  apple  with  about 
half  a  teaspoonful  of  cochineal,  and  fill  a 
border  mould  with  alternate  layers  of  the 
colored  and  uncolored  apple.  When  cold, 
turn  out  and  serve  with  half  a  pint  of  cream 
whipped  solid  and  piled  in  the  centre. 

There  is  a  great  difference  in  the  solidity 
of  whipped  cream.  Sometimes  it  will  be  a 
mere  froth  that  shows  a  disposition  to  lique- 
fy, and  cannot  be  piled  up.  When  this  is 
the  case  there  is  always  a  great  waste  of 
cream,  for  at  least  half  will  have  been  left 
as  a  milky  residue.  The  reason  for  this  fail- 
ure of  the  cream  to  whip  solid  is  generally 
because  it  is  too  fresh  or  too  warm. 

If  in  proper  condition,  cream  will  whip  as 
sohd  as  white  of  eggs,  and  leave  not  a  tea- 
spoonful  of  liquid  at  the  bottom  of  the  bowl ; 
nor  will  there  be  the  least  danger  of  cream 


214  CHOICfE   COOKERY. 

SO  whipped  going  back  to  liquid.  It  will  be- 
come sour,  but  not  change  its  form ;  and  it 
will  take  but  a  few  minutes  to  beat. 

Cream  intended  for  whipping  should  be 
twenty-four  hours  old  in  warm  weather,  and 
thirty-six  in  winter.  It  sliould  also  be  thor- 
oughly chilled,  and  if  the  day  is  very  warm 
it  would  be  better  to  set  the  bowl  containing 
it  on  ice  while  whipping  it.  Put  in  the  whip, 
or  egg-beater,  and  do  not  lift  the  froth  off  as 
it  rises ;  it  is  quite  unnecessary  if  the  vessel 
you  use  for  the  cream  is  large  enough.  As 
you  see  it  begin  to  thicken,  which  will  be 
after  steady  beating  for  ^^^  or  six  minutes, 
keep  on  just  as  you  would  for  white  of  eggs. 
When  the  beater  is  withdraAvn  you  should 
be  able  to  cut  the  cream  or  pile  it  any  height. 
If  by  reason  of  excessive  heat  it  is  slow  in 
reaching  the  proper  consistency,  leave  the 
beater  in  the  bowl,  and  set  the  whole  on  the 
ice  until  very  cold  again. 

The  consistency  of  jelly  should  be  only 
just  stiff  enough  to  keep  form.     It  should 


JELLIES.  215 

shake  and  tremble  while  being  served  in- 
stead of  remaining  solid.  It  requires  some 
little  practice  to  make  sure  of  this  every  time, 
although  exact  proportions  be  given.  A  ta- 
blespoonf  ul  difference  in  the  pint  or  gill  meas- 
ure would,  where  the  gelatine  is  only  just 
enough,  cause  the  jelly  to  "  squat " — not  an 
elegant  term,  but  one  that  represents  the 
form  of  a  too  soft  jelly. 

A  very  exact  recipe  for  plain  claret  jelly, 
and  which  in  proportions  serves  for  any  other 
unless  special  mention  is  made  of  some  vari- 
ation, is  as  follows :  Three  quarters  of  a  pint 
of  water,  one  pint  of  claret,  a  quarter  of  a 
pint  of  lemon  juice  (this  makes  one  quart  of 
liquid),  the  rind  of  one  lemon,  half  an  inch 
of  cinnamon  in  the  stick  and  two  cloves, 
one  tablespoonf ul  of  red  currant  jelly,  two 
ounces  of  gelatine,  the  whites  and  shells  of 
two  eggs,  a  few  drops  of  cochineal,  and  four 
ounces  of  sugar ;  put  all  in  a  stewpan,  the 
gelatine  having  been  softened  in  a  little  of 
the  water ;  whisk  over  the  fire  until  the  whole 


216  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

boils ;  then  draw  it  off,  let  it  stand  for  five 
to  ten  minutes;  strain  through  flannel  or 
fine  linen  without  pressure,  add  a  few  drops 
of  cochineal  to  brighten  the  color,  and  mould 
for  use. 

Use  great  care  in  selecting  cinnamon,  for 
very  much  that  is  sold  is  not  the  true  spice, 
but  a  cheaper  one  (cassia)  that  resembles  it. 
Cinnamon  has  a  bright  tan-color,  is  rolled 
many  times,  and  is  not  much  thicker  than 
paper  when  a  piece  is  unrolled.  Cassia  is 
thicker  in  the  roll,  a  dull  brown,  and  if  a 
piece  is  broken  is  like  a  piece  of  wood.  It 
is  similar  in  flavor,  but  much  coarser,  and 
has  little  strength. 


XXIY. 

JELLIES. — Continued. 

If  it  is  kept  in  mind  that  two  ounces  of 
gelatine  to  the  quart  of  hquid  is  the  right 
proportion,  and  that  if  even  a  tablespoonful 
of  flavoring,  fruit  juice,  or  what  not,  is  add- 
ed, exactly  the  same  quantity  of  other  liquid 
must  be  omitted,  there  will  not  be  much 
danger  of  formless  jelly.  Many  forget  this 
when  not  working  from  an  exact  recipe,  and 
remembering  only  that  a  quart  of  cream  or 
water  or  wine  requires  two  ounces  of  gela- 
tine to  set  it,  they  do  not  deduct  for  the 
glass  of  wine  or  juice  of  lemon,  etc.,  they 
may  add  for  flavoring.  Although  wine  jelly 
is  rather  a  simple  form  of  sweet,  suggestive 
of  innocent  country  teas,  a  very  little  more 
time  than  the  average  housekeeper  bestows 
upon  it  will  convert  it  into  a  very  elegant 


218  CHOICE    COOKEKY. 

dish.  In  the  season  for  fruits  there  is  no 
more  beautiful  ornament  for  jelly  than 
these,  carefully  gathered,  with  two  or  three 
leaves  attached. 

Jelly  with  Fresh  Fruits. — Select  cherries  of 
two  or  three  colors  if  possible,  in  sprays  of 
two  or  three,  and  on  each  a  leaf  or  two ; 
wash  them  carefully  by  dipping  them  in  and 
out  of  a  bowl  of  water.  Lay  them  between 
soft  cloths  to  remove  all  moisture.  Make  a 
quart  of  punch  jelly  in  the  following  way  : 
Put  together  a  pint  of  water,  a  quarter  of  a 
pint  of  the  finest  Santa  Cruz  or  Jamaica  rum, 
a  quarter  of  a  pint  of  sherry,  a  gill  and  a  half 
of  lemon  juice,  the  rinds  of  two  lemons,  and 
the  juice  of  one  orange,  or,  if  oranges  are  not 
to  be  obtained  in  cherry  season,  half  a  gill 
more  of  water,  two  ounces  of  gelatine,  half 
an  inch  of  cinnamon,  the  whites  of  two  eggs 
well  beaten  and  the  shells  crushed.  Let  this 
come  to  a  boil  over  the  fire,  being  well  whisk- 
ed the  while ;  as  soon  as  it  boils  draw  it  to  a 
cool  spot  on  the  range,  let  it  stand  five  min- 


JELLIES.  219 

utes,  and  strain  through  scalded  flannel  over 
a  bowl ;  let  it  drip,  but  do  not  use  the  least 
pressure.  This  jelly  must  be  brilliantly  clear. 
If  there  is  any  milky  appearance  it  proves 
that  the  jelly  did  not  really  boil,  and  so  the 
eggs  had  not  completely  coagulated  ;  in  that 
event  boil  once  more  for  an  instant,  and 
strain  again  through  fresh  flannel.  Oil  a 
mould  that  has  no  design  of  fruit  or  vege- 
table at  the  bottom,  and  set  it  in  cracked  ice ; 
pour  in  an  inch  or  two  of  the  jelly  when 
nearly  cold.  Have  the  cherries  ice  cold,  and 
arrange  the  sprays  gracefully  with  due  re- 
gard to  color,  remembering  that  the  best  ef- 
fect must  be  not  upward  towards  you,  but 
towards  the  bottom  of  the  mould ;  thus  the 
underside  of  the  leaves  must  be  upward,  etc. 
Do  not  put  in  more  fruit  than  will  display 
itself  w^ell.  The  bunches  are  to  be  isolated, 
not  allowed  to  touch  each  other,  and  for  this 
reason  it  may  not  be  possible  to  lay  more 
than  one  cluster  at  the  bottom,  if  the  mould 
is  small  there.     In  this  case  dispose  a  bunch 


220  CHOICE  COOKERY. 

of  black  cherries  and  leaves  gracefully  in  the 
centre,  pour  in  more  jelly,  half  an  inch  or  so, 
then  nearer  the  sides  arrange  lighter-colored 
cherries,  two  or  three  clusters,  no  more.  The 
fruit  is  only  intended  as  an  ornament.  A 
jelly  that  is  quite  as  pretty  may  be  made  by 
using  clusters  of  red  and  white,  or  red,  white, 
and  black  currants.  The  red  and  white  ones 
should  have  two  or  three  young  leaves  at- 
tached, and  each  cluster  be  perfect ;  no  black- 
currant leaves  must  be  used,  as  they  have  a 
strong  flavor. 

Jelly  with  Candied  Fruits, — Make  a  quart 
of  maraschino  jelly,  which  is  done  by  omit- 
ting the  rum,  lemon,  and  cinnamon  from  the 
last  recipe,  and  using  in  place  of  rum  a  gill 
of  maraschino,  and  water  in  place  of  lemon 
juice.  The  jelly  must  be  very  pale.  Choose 
the  fruits  of  as  bright  colors  as  possible — 
small  green  oranges,  red  cherries,  bright  yel- 
low mirabelles,  angelica  perfectly  green.  Cut 
the  oranges  in  half — two  or  three  will  suffice 
— leave  mirabelles  and  cherries  whole  ;  apri- 


JELLIES.  221 

cots  cut  in  half-moons.  The  angehea,  if  cut 
across  a  quarter-inch  thick,  will  form  rings,  but 
if  something  more  ornamental  is  desired  it 
can  be  split  lengthwise,  softened  in  hot  water, 
wiped,  then  tied  into  small  love-knots.  Pour 
into  a  mould  set  in  ice  (the  melon  shape  is 
excellent  for  these  jellies)  an  inch  of  jellj, 
let  it  set;  then  scatter  in  a  few  pieces  of 
bright -colored  fruit,  always  the  best  side 
downward;  pour  in  an  inch  more  of  jelly, 
and  when  set  more  fruit,  keeping  the  bright- 
er pieces  towards  the  side ;  if  you  have  knots 
of  angelica,  put  them  near  the  side.  Always 
see  that  one  layer  of  fruit  and  jelly  is  nearly 
set  before  adding  more. 

Although  fruits  added  to  jellies  in  the  way 
just  described  are  chiefly  for  decorative  ef- 
fect, they  do  add  very  greatly  to  the  pleasure 
of  eating  them ;  but  jellied  fruits,  as  distin- 
guished from  fruits  in  jelly,  are  a  delicious 
mode  of  eating  fruit,  and  where  it  is  in 
abundance  afford  a  pleasant  variety. 

Jellied  Raspberries. — Melt  two  ounces  of 


222  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

gelatine  in  a  gill  of  water,  squeeze  half  a 
pint  of  currant  juice  from  fresh  currants,  and 
crush  as  many  red  raspberries  as  will  with 
the  liquid  fill  a  quart  measure.  It  is  almost 
impossible  to  give  definite  directions  for 
sugar,  as  fruits  differ  so  much.  Stir  in  six 
ounces,  then  if  not  sweet  enough  add  more ; 
mould  the  jelly,  and  serve  with  cream. 

This  is  also  very  nice  put  in  a  border 
mould,  the  centre  filled  with  whipped  cream. 

Roman  Punch  Jellies. — These  require  stiff 
paper  cases  of  any  of  the  ornamental  kinds 
used  for  ice-cream,  but  they  must  not  flare. 
Make  some  maraschino  or  wine  jelly.  When 
it  begins  to  set,  pour  the  jelly  into  the  cases, 
v/hich  must  be  on  ice,  so  that  half  the  fluid 
jelly  may  set  before  it  has  time  to  soak  the 
case.  "When  quite  set,  very  carefully  remove 
the  centre,  leaving  a  shell  of  jelly  half  an 
inch  thick.  The  last  thing  before  serving 
fill  the  centres  with  well-frozen  Roman-punch 
ice. 

J.  Macedoine  of  fruits,  if  well  managed 


JELLIES.  223 

and  a  good  assortment  of  fruits  can  be  had, 
i^  a  very  ornamental  way  of  serving  fruit. 
A  mould  should  have  half  an  inch  of  mar- 
aschino, punch,  wine,  or  lemon  jelly  poured 
into  it;  then  some  perfect  strawberries,  or, 
failing  those,  red  cherries,  as  many  as  the 
jelly  will  hold  together  without  crowding, 
no  more ;  then  more  jelly,  and  a  layer  of 
fruit  of  another  kind  (white,  if  possible),  as 
pineapple  cut  into  stars — a  number  of  small 
stars  can  be  stamped  out  of  a  few  thin  slices 
— more  jelly,  and  a  ring  of  dark  fruit.  Take 
care  that  all  the  finest  fruits  are  used  to 
form  the  outer  rows.  When  the  mould  is 
almost  full,  Avith  a  layer  or  two  of  each  kind 
of  fruit,  fill  it  up  with  jelly  and  set  on  ice. 

Creams  are  a  favorite  sweet  in  Europe, 
and  eaten  ice  cold  are  delicious.  Too  often 
they  are  confounded  here  with  blanc-mange, 
which  may  mean  anything  from  corn-starch 
and  milk  to  gelatine  and  cream,  but  seldom 
is  improved  by  the  confectioner's  art  into  a 
really  handsome  and  dainty  dish. 


224  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

Ginger  Cream. — Make  a  custard  of  a  gill 
of  milk,  an  ounce  of  powdered  sugar,  and 
the  beaten  yolks  of  three  eggs.  Stir  in  a 
double  boiler  until  thick.  Let  it  cool.  Then 
add  one  gill  of  the  syrup  from  a  jar  of  pre- 
served ginger,  and  cut  up  two  ounces  of  the 
ginger;  add  three  quarters  of  an  ounce  of 
gelatine  melted  in  as  little  w^ater  as  possible. 
Last  of  all,  add  half  a  pint  of  cream  whipped 
solid.  Mix  gently  and  till  well  blended ;  pour 
into  a  mould,  and  set  on  ice. 

Neajpolitan  Cream.  —  Make  a  custard  of 
half  a  pint  of  milk,  the  yolks  of  four  eggs, 
and  a  tablespoonful  and  a  half  of  powdered 
sugar.  Let  it  cool.  Cut  up  three  ounces  of 
preserved  ginger  very  small ;  cook  it  in  a  gill 
of  ginger  syrup  for  three  minutes.  Let  it 
cool  also.  Decorate  the  mould  w4th  one 
ounce  of  dried  cherries  and  leaves,  etc.,  of 
jelly.  Cut  the  cherries  in  half,  glue  them 
with  a  little  melted  jelly  to  the  side  and  bot- 
tom of  the  mould ;  cut  some  jelly  in  thin 
slices,  or  melt  it  and  let  it  run  into  thin 


JELLIES.  225 

sheets,  which  allow  to  chill,  and  stamp  from 
them  leaves,  or  whatever  shapes  you  please. 
Glue  these  also  to  the  side  of  the  mould  in 
the  most  effective  way  your  taste  can  devise. 
Stir  one  ounce  of  gelatine  melted  in  very  lit- 
tle water,  and  half  a  pint  of  cream  w^hipped 
solid,  to  the  custard  with  which  you  have 
already  mixed  the  ginger  and  syrup.  Pour 
all  into  the  decorated  mould,  put  on  ice,  and 
when  it  is  to  be  turned  out  wrap  a  cloth 
dipped  in  hot  water  round  the  mould ;  give 
it  a  smart  slap  on  both  sides,  and  it  will  turn 
out  without  difficulty. 
15 


XXY. 

COLD  SWEETS.— CKEAMS. 

Coffee  Cream. — Make  half  a  pint  of  cus- 
tard with  two  eggs  and  half  a  pint  of  milk; 
dissolve  an  ounce  of  gelatine  and  three  ounces 
of  sugar  in  half  a  gill  of  strong  coffee ;  add 
the  custard,  and  strain ;  whip  half  a  pint  of 
cream  quite  firm;  stir  lightly  into  the  cus- 
tard ;  when  it  is  cool,  pour  into  a  mould,  and 
set  on  ice.  The  excellence  of  this  cream  de- 
pends on  the  coffee,  which  must  be  filtered, 
not  boiled,  freshly  made,  and  very  strong — 
three  tablespoonfuls  of  coffee  to  the  half- 
pint. 

Curagoa  Cream. — Make  a  custard  with  the 
yolks  of  four  eggs  and  half  a  pint  of  milk ; 
dissolve  half  an  ounce  of  gelatine  in  as  little 
liquid  as  possible ;  mix  it  with  two  ounces  of 
powdered  sugar;  add  to  the  custard;  then 


COLD   SWEETS. — CREAMS.  227 

stir  in  a  generous  glass  of  curagoa,  and  let 
the  mixture  cool,  after  which  add  half  a  pint 
of  cream  whipped  solid.  Stir  very  lightly 
together  until  well  blended ;  then  mould  and 
set  on  ice. 

Strawberry  Cream, — Hull  a  pint  of  quite 
ripe  strawberries ;  put  them  on  a  fine  sieve, 
and  sprinkle  an  ounce  of  sugar  over  them ; 
put  half  an  ounce  of  gelatine  into  a  stewpan 
with  tw^o  tablespoonfuls  of  cold  water,  two 
ounces  and  a  half  of  powdered  sugar,  and  the 
juice  of  a  lemon,  and  let  it  dissolve  by  gentle 
heat.  Pass  the  strawberries  through  the 
sieve ;  strain  the  gelatine,  etc.,  to  the  straw- 
berry juice,  and  put  to  get  cold;  then  add 
half  a  pint  of  cream  whipped  solid.  Stir 
very  lightly  to  the  strawberry  juice,  etc., 
when  the  latter  is  beginning  to  set. 

Vanilla  Cream.  —  Make  a  custard  with 
three  yolks  and  one  white  of  ^g'g^  and  half  a 
pint  of  milk  and  three  ounces  of  sugar ;  melt 
an  ounce  of  gelatine  in  two  tablespoonfuls 
of  water,  strain  it  to  the  custard,  and  mix 


228  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

well;  whip  half  a  pint  of  cream  to  a  stiff 
froth,  and  stir  it  gently  to  the  custard  and 
gelatine ;  flavor  with  vanilla.  After  the  va- 
nilla is  added,  make  a  couple  of  spoonfuls  of 
the  custard  pink  with  cochineal  or  straw- 
berry juice;  let  this  cool  in  a  thin  sheet; 
stamp  from  it  small  clover  leaves  or  lozenges, 
not  over  an  inch  long  and  three  quarters 
broad ;  decorate  the  bottom  of  a  mould  with 
them,  using  a  little  gelatine  and  water  to 
fasten  them ;  set  the  mould  in  chopped  ice, 
and  about  half-way  up  put  four  or  five  of 
the  pink  pieces ;  take  great  care  there  is  no 
inequality  as  to  height  or  distance  (slovenly 
decoration  is  worse  than  none).  When  the 
lozenges  are  quite  secure  in  their  places,  pour 
in  the  cream.  It  is  needless  to  repeat  this 
form  of  decoration  of  creams,  they  can  be 
varied  so  infinitely  by  individual  taste,  but 
as  a  rule  they  should  be  decorated  only  with 
small  forms  cut  out  of  bright-colored  jelly, 
or  of  cream  colored  pink,  orange,  pistache 
green,  or  brown.     Candied  fruits  are  not  ef- 


COLD    SWEETS. CEEAMS.  229 

fective,  although  sometimes  used,  unless  the 
cream  itself  has  fruit  in  it. 

Pistache  Cream. — Half  an  ounce  of  gela- 
tine, two  ounces  of  powdered  sugar;  melt 
the  gelatine  in  a  gill  of  water,  then  add  the 
sugar,  a  glass  of  sherry,  and  a  glass  of  kirsch. 
"Whip  half  a  pint  of  thick  cream  solid,  and 
when  the  gelatine  is  cold  and  beginning  to 
thicken  stir  the  cream  to  it  very  lightly,  and 
at  the  same  time  two  ounces  of  pistachio- 
nuts,  blanched  and  chopped  fine,  with  enough 
vegetable  green  coloring  to  make  the  cream 
a  shade  or  two  lighter  in  color  than  the  nuts. 
This  cream  must  be  stirred  lightly  on  ice  af- 
ter the  nuts  are  added,  till  thick  enough  for 
them  not  to  sink. 

Almond  Cream. — Half  an  ounce  of  gela- 
tine melted  in  a  gill  of  water  with  two  ounces 
of  sugar  and  a  glass  of  sherry;  grate  four 
ounces  of  almond  paste  into  it,  and  stir  in 
a  double  boiler  or  bowl  set  in  boiling  water 
until  dissolved,  or  at  least  until  there  are  no 
lumps.     Let  this  get  cool.     Whip  a  pint  and 


CHOICE   COOKERY. 


a  gill  of  cream  solid,  and  stir  to  the  mixture. 
Decorate  a  mould  with  any  red  jelly,  pour  the 
mixture  in,  and  set  on  ice.  In  consequence 
of  the  variation  in  the  strength  of  gelatine, 
in  making  any  of  these  creams  try  a  little  on 
ice  in  a  saucer  before  pouring  into  a  mould, 
then  add  more  cream  or  gelatine  as  required. 

Cold  P tedding 8  and  Frozen  Puddings. — 
Some  of  these  "  puddings  "  might  just  as  ap- 
propriately be  called  creams ;  however,  fash- 
ion ordains  that  they  shall  be  puddings.  One 
of  the  newest  is  the 

Juhilee  Pudding. — Make  a  pint  of  claret 
jelly;  pour  it  into  a  small  border  mould; 
whip  half  a  pint  of  cream  in  which  is  a  quar- 
ter of  an  ounce  of  dissolved  gelatine.  When 
it  is  whipped  solid,  stir  in  one  ounce  of  pre- 
served or  candied  cherries,  one  ounce  of  can- 
died angelica,  one  ounce  of  preserved  ginger, 
and  one  ounce  of  preserved  apricot— the  gin- 
ger and  angelica  cut  small.  Set  on  ice ;  then 
turn  out.  Pile  the  whipped  cream  and  fruit 
in  the  centre,  and  decorate  according  to  fancy. 


COLD   SWEETS. — CEEAMS.  231 

Cold  Souffle  Pudding  d  la  Princesse. — 
Melt  half  an  ounce  of  gelatine  in  a  gill  of 
cream ;  set  in  boiling  water  till  dissolved ; 
beat  the  yolks  of  three  eggs  well,  and  add  to 
the  milk ;  when  well  mixed,  put  the  custard 
into  a  double  boiler  till  it  thickens — it  must 
not  boil.  Pour  it  into  a  bowl,  and  add  a  gill 
of  apricot  preserve,  made  into  a  puree  by 
rubbing  through  a  sieve  with  half  a  gill  of 
orange  juice,  two  ounces  of  sugar,  a  little 
lemon  juice,  and  cochineal  to  color  it  a  very 
delicate  pink.  Beat  the  whites  of  four  eggs 
till  they  will  not  slip ;  stir  them  in  very  light- 
ly with  an  upward  motion  of  the  spoon,  the 
object  being  to  keep  the  white  of  egg  from 
falling,  yet  the  whole  must  be  thoroughly 
mixed.  Stir  till  nearly  cold  before  putting 
the  souffle  in  a  mould  to  set. 

Imperial  Pice  Pudding. — Pour  a  quarter 
of  a  pint  of  clear  white  jelly  into  a  quart 
mould,  turning  the  mould  about  so  that  the 
jelly  covers  every  part ;  this  jelly  serves  to 
keep  the  ornaments  in  place.     Cover  the  in- 


232  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

side  of  the  mould  Avith  an  ounce  of  candied 
cherries  split  and  half  an  ounce  of  angelica 
cut  into  thin  rings.  Stew  a  quarter  of  a 
pound  of  rice  in  a  pint  of  milk  till  tender ; 
when  cool,  add  half  a  pint  of  whipped  cream, 
a  quarter  of  an  ounce  of  gelatine  melted  in  a 
little  water,  a  quarter  of  a  pound  of  powdered 
sugar,  and  a  teaspoonf  ul  of  vanilla.  When  it 
is  all  well  mixed,  turn  the  preparation  into 
the  mould,  and  set  on  ice.  When  firm,  turn 
out  of  the  mould,  and  serve  with  a  puree  of 
apricots. 

Di^plomatic  Pudding.  —  Make  a  quart  of 
custard  in  the  following  way :  Put  the  yolks 
of  four  eggs  and  the  white  of  one  into  a  bowl, 
and  mix  well  with  a  Avooden  spoon ;  stir  in 
half  a  pint  of  milk,  and  strain  all  into  a  double 
boiler  or  a  pitcher ;  add  two  ounces  of  sugar, 
and  stand  the  pitcher  (unless  you  have  the 
double  boiler)  in  a  saucepan  of  boiling  water, 
and  stir  the  custard  over  the  fire  until  it  thick- 
ens, but  it  must  not  boil ;  remove  from  the 
fire ;  stir  in  a  tablespoonful  of  brandy  and  a 


COLD    SWEETS. CREAMS.  333 

little  vanilla.  Line  a  plain  mould  with  half 
a  pint  of  wine  jelly ;  this  is  done  by  pouring 
a  little  in  at  a  time  when  it  is  half  fluid,  roll- 
ing the  mould  about  on  ice,  and  as  soon  as 
one  coat  adheres,  pour  in  more,  until  the 
mould  is  evenly  coated ;  decorate  it  with  half 
an  ounce  of  candied  cherries  and  half  an 
ounce  of  angelica — the  cherries  split  and  the 
angelica  cut.  Melt  an  ounce  of  gelatine  and 
two  ounces  of  sugar  in  a  gill  of  water;  stir 
it  into  the  custard  with  a  gill  of  thick  cream  ; 
stir  till  cool ;  then  add  an  ounce  more  cher- 
ries, half  an  ounce  of  angelica,  and  half  an 
ounce  of  citron,  all  chopped  small.  Pour  this 
gently  into  the  mould  you  have  decorated, 
set  on  ice,  turn  out  and  serve. 

Cold  Cahinet  Pudding.  —  Ornament  the 
bottom  of  a  pint  mould  with  candied  cherries 
and  angelica ;  split  half  a  dozen  lady-fingers ; 
line  the  sides  of  the  mould  very  evenly  Avith 
them,  arranging  them  alternately  back  and 
front  against  the  mould;  put  in  two  ounces 
of  ratafias  (these  are  tiny  macaroons  about 


234  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

the  size  of  a  five-cent  piece,  of  high  flavor, 
and  to  be  obtained  at  the  pastry-cooks'  who 
make  foreign  specialties ;  some  grocers  also 
import  them) ;  put  four  yolks  of  eggs  into  a 
bowl;  stir  them;  then  add  half  a  pint  of 
milk ;  pour  this  custard  into  a  double  boiler, 
and  stir  until  it  thickens,  taking  care  that  it 
does  not  curdle.  Melt  half  an  ounce  of  gela- 
tine in  a  very  little  water ;  strain  it  to  the 
custard.  When  the  latter  cools,  add  half  a 
gill  of  thick,  fresh  cream,  two  ounces  of  sugar, 
and  a  teaspoonful  of  vanilla;  mix  all  well, 
and  pour  carefully  into  the  mould  without 
disturbing  the  lining  of  cake.  Put  the  mould 
on  ice,  and,  when  set,  turn  out  and  serve. 


XXYI. 

CREAMS  AND  FROZEN  PUDDINGS. 

Nut  creams,  with  tlie  exception  of  almond, 
are  not  very  well  known,  but  are  so  delicious 
that  they  ought  to  be.  One  reason  perhaps 
is  that  it  is  not  generally  known  that  kernels 
of  nuts,  sach  as  hazel-nuts,  walnuts,  hickory- 
nuts,  etc.,  can  be  bought  by  the  pound  at 
confectioners'  supply  stores.  This,  of  course, 
saves  the  tedious  work  of  cracking  and  shell- 
ing. To  use  with  creams  or  for  frozen  pud- 
dings the  nuts  must  be  pounded  very  well, 
with  very  little  white  of  egg — just  enough  to 
moisten  and  render  the  process  easy. 

CoGoanut  Cream.  —  Grate  a  fresh,  sweet 
cocoanut  (having  first  peeled,  washed,  and 
wiped  it  dry) ;  mix  Avith  it  an  ounce  of 
sugar;  melt  in  as  little  water  as  possible 
three  quarters  of  an  ounce  of  gelatine ;  whip 


236  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

the  whites  of  three  eggs,  mix  them  with  half 
a  pint  of  milk,  and  stir  over  the  fire  until  the 
custard  thickens;  sweeten  with  four  table- 
spoonfuls  of  sugar.  Stir  the  gelatine  and  a 
full  half -pint  of  grated  cocoanut  with  the 
cocoanut  milk  into  the  custard.  Whip  half 
a  pint  of  thick  cream  solid,  and  stir  it  very 
carefully  into  the  custard ;  when  the  latter 
is  quite  cold,  but  before  it  sets,  flavor  with  a 
little  vanilla  or  lemon  extract.  Mould  and 
set  on  ice. 

Hazel-nut  Cream. — Put  a  pint  of  hazel-nut 
kernels  into  a  cool  oven  until  they  are  thor- 
oughly dry  and. rather  hot  (they  must  not 
become  too  hot,  or  they  will  change  fla- 
vor) ;  then  rub  them  between  two  coarse 
cloths  to  get  rid  of  as  much  as  possible  of  the 
skin  (it  cannot  be  entirely  removed) ;  blow 
away  the  loose  hulls,  and  pound  the  nuts  to 
a  paste  with  a  little  white  of  Qgg.  Make  a 
custard  with  the  yolks  of  three  eggs  and  half 
a  pint  of  milk ;  dissolve  half  an  ounce  of  gel- 
atine in  a  gill  of  water,  mix  with  six  ounces 


CEEAMS    AND   FKOZEN    PUDDINGS.  237 

of  powdered  sugar,  and  add  to  the  custard 
when  nearly  cooL  Stir  in  the  hazel-nut  paste, 
taking  care  that  it  is  well  mixed  with  the  cus- 
tard, and  add  a  half-pint  of  cream  whipped 
solid ;  flavor  with  vanilla,  or  you  may  omit 
flavoring,  the  hazel-nut  being  sufficient  for 
many  people.     Mould  and  set  on  ice. 

This  cream  and  the  two  that  follow  are 
flecked  with  brown,  for  which  reason  it  may 
be  colored  browm  with  caramel,  although  I  pre- 
fer it  uncolored,  the  specks  being  no  more  ob- 
jectionable than  the  vanilla  seeds  one  rejoices 
to  see  in  ice-cream. 

Walnut  or  Ilickory-nut  Cream.  —  Pound 
one  pint  of  either  of  these  nuts,  after  rub- 
bing them  well  in  a  cloth,  make  the  same 
custard  as  for  hazel-nut  cream,  stir  in  the 
w^alnut  or  hickory -nut  paste  till  smooth,  add 
the  whipped  cream,  color  a  pale  pink  with 
cochineal,  and  flavor  faintly  with  rum  or 
vanilla.  Mould,  set  on  ice,  and  serve  with 
whipped  cream  flavored  shghtly  with  rum. 

Bohemian  Jelly  Creams. — These  may  be 


238  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

made  of  any  flavor,  according  to  the  jellj 
you  use.  It  may  be  jelly  of  fruit  or  liqueur. 
If  fresh  fruit  is  used  for  jell}^,  the  juice  must 
be  expressed,  and  well-sweetened  gelatine 
added  in  the  proportion  of  an  ounce  to  the 
pint.  If  jam  or  marmalade  is  used,  a  pint 
of  water  is  added  and  the  same  amount  of 
gelatine,  with  the  juice  of  half  a  lemon  to  the 
pint.  Water,  jam,  and  dissolved  gelatine 
must  be  mixed  quickly  and  passed  through 
a  sieve ;  either  must  be  stirred  in  a  bowl  set 
in  ice  till  quite  cold  and  beginning  to  thick- 
en; then  stir  in  gently  and  quickly  three- 
quarters  of  a  pint  of  cream  whipped  solid ; 
pour  the  mixture  into  the  mould,  which  must 
be  set  in  ice.  Cover  well,  and  keep  on  ice 
till  needed. 

Frangipanni  Iced  Pudding.  —  Grate  six 
ounces  of  almond  paste  to  crumbs ;  then  on 
a  smaller  grater  grate  four  or  six  bitter  al- 
monds blanched  and  dried ;  pound  a  dozen 
candied  orange -flower  petals  with  three- 
quarters  of  a  pound  of  poAvdered  sugar ;  put 


CEEAMS   AND   FROZEN   PUDDINGS.  239 

all  into  a  stewpan  Avitli  the  yolks  of  eight 
eggs,  and  beat  them  very  well  together.  In 
another  stewpan  have  a  pint  and  a  half  of 
boiling  milk,  which  must  be  poured  over  the 
other  ingredients  by  degrees,  keeping  them 
well  stirred.  Place  it  over  the  fire,  stirring 
until  it  thickens  and  adheres  to  the  back  of 
the  spoon;  rub  this  all  through  a  coarse 
sieve,  add  a  glass  of  sherry,  and  when  cold 
pour  the  mixture  into  the  freezer ;  when  half 
frozen  add  a  pint  and  a  half  of  whipped 
cream,  and  when  quite  frozen  fill  a  pudding 
mould,  bury  it  in  ice  and  salt,  and  serve  as 
you  would  Nesselrode  pudding. 

Iced  Cabinet  Pudding. — Cut  a  stale  sponge 
cake  into  slices  half  an  inch  thick  and  rather 
smaller  than  the  mould  you  intend  to  use  for 
the  pudding ;  lay  the  slices  of  cake  to  soak 
in  brandy  flavored  with  noyau ;  decorate  the 
bottom  and  sides  of  the  mould  with  candied 
fruits,  split  cherries,  angelica  rings,  the  same 
of  green  oranges,  and  little  diamonds  of  gin- 
ger, with  a  few  whole  ratafias,  dipping  them 


240  CHOICE  COOKERY. 

in  jelly  to  make  them  adhere ;  lay  in  one 
slice  of  cake,  then  cherries  and  ratafias,  an- 
other slice  of  cake,  and  so  on,  until  the  mould 
is  three  parts  full.  Make  a  quart  of  custard 
with  six  yolks  of  eggs,  three  tablespoonfuls 
of  sugar,  and  an  ounce  of  gelatine ;  when  this 
is  cold  pour  part  into  the  mould,  which  must 
close  hermetically;  pack  it  in  salt  and  ice 
for  at  least  two  hours;  when  you  wish  to 
turn  it  out,  dip  it  a  minute  in  lukewarm 
water.  Keep  the  remaining  custard  on  ice, 
flavor  it  with  sherry  or  rum,  beat  it  up, 
pour  it  around  the  pudding,  and  strew  it 
with  chopped  pistachio-nuts. 

Ice  Pudding. — Make  a  custard  with  a  pint 
and  a  half  of  milk,  one  whole  ^gg  and  the 
yolks  of  four  others,  and  a  quarter  of  a  pound 
of  sugar ;  when  cold,  add  half  a  glass  of  bran- 
dy, a  glass  of  maraschino,  an  ounce  of  citron 
cut  fine,  a  quarter  of  a  pound  of  dried  fruits, 
and  an  ounce  of  pistachio-nuts,  the  fruits  cut 
up  in  small  pieces,  the  pistachio-nuts  blanched 
and  split ;  mix  well ;  and  lastly  add  half  a 


CREAMS   AND   FROZEN   PUDDINGS.  241 

pint  of  whipped  cream.  When  well  frozen, 
pack  into  a  pudding  mould,  and  bury  in  ice 
and  salt  till  wanted. 

Bombay  Ice  Pudding. — Line  a  plain  mould 
Avith  Koman-punch  ice  an  inch  thick,  keeping 
it  bedded  nearly  to  the  brim  in  ice  and  salt 
while  you  do  it ;  then  fill  the  centre  with  the 
following  mixture :  a  pint  of  cocoanut  grated 
very  fine,  mixed  with  a  pint  of  ice-cream; 
take  great  care  that  the  cocoanut  is  ice-cold 
before  you  mix  it  in,  or  it  will  melt  the  ice- 
cream. When  the  mould  is  filled  within  an 
inch  of  the  top,  cover  it  with  Koman  punch, 
close  the  mould  hermetically,  and  bury  in 
ice.  These  puddings,  where  two  kinds  of 
ice  are  used,  must  only  be  attempted  after 
one  has  learned  to  pack  plain  ice-cream  with 
success. 

Iced  Jelly  Plodding. — Make  a  custard  with 
a  pint  of  boiling  cream,  three  ounces  of  sugar, 
and  the  yolks  of  four  eggs  beaten ;  pour  the 
cream  to  the  eggs  very  carefuU}^,  stirring  it 
in  by  degrees.  Have  ready  a  quarter  of  an 
16 


342  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

ounce  of  gelatine  dissolved  in  very  little  milk, 
mix  it  in,  and  put  the  vessel  containing  the 
custard  in  a  stewpan  of  boiling  water,  and 
stir  till  it  just  thickens ;  then  whisk  it  until 
nearly  cold.  Mask  a  quart  mould  with  jelly 
an  inch  thick — any  favorite  red  jelly,  or  a  pale 
one  tinted.  Directions  have  already  been 
given  how  the  inside  of  a  mould  is  to  be 
coated  with  jelly.  There  is  an  easier  but 
extravagant  way,  namely,  to  fill  the  mould 
with  jelly,  then  scoop  out  the  centre  neatly, 
leaving  a  shell  of  jelly  an  inch  thick.  The 
centre,  of  course,  might  be  made  hot  and  bot- 
tled for  another  occasion,  or  to  make  Bo- 
hemian cream  jellies.  When  the  mould  is 
masked,  fill  it  with  the  custard,  which  must 
be  half  frozen  ;  then  cover  securely,  and  pack 
in  ice  and  salt  at  least  five  hours  before  it  is 
served. 


XXYII. 

ICED  PUDDINGS. 

Filbert  and  Wine  Iced  Pudding. — To  one 
pint  of  cream  put  four  tablespoonf uls  of  sugar 
and  two  glasses  of  fine  sherry.  The  cream 
must  be  perfectly  sweet,  but  should  be  at 
least  twenty-four  hours  old,  and  be  ice  cold. 
Whip  this  solid ;  then  freeze.  Put  a  pint  of 
filberts  in  a  cool  oven  till  the  skins  will  near- 
ly all  rub  off ;  put  them  between  two  coarse 
cloths,  and  rub  as  much  as  possible  of  the 
brown  coating  off  them ;  pound  them  to  a 
paste  with  a  little  thick  cream,  mix  four 
ounces  of  sugar  with  the  nuts,  and  then 
blend  the  whole  with  enough  thick  custard 
to  make  a  very  thick  batter;  flavor  with 
lemon  or  vanilla,  or  not,  as  you  choose ;  freeze. 
Line  a  plain  mould  Avitli  the  frozen  wine 
cream  an  inch  thick ;  then  fill  in  the  centre 


244  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

with  the  frozen  filberts  well  pressed  in ;  cov- 
er tight,  and  pack  in  ice  and  salt  for  three 
hours,  or  until  wanted.  This  pudding  can 
be  made  of  walnuts  and  port-wine  cream. 

Iced  Custard  with  Fruit. — Flavor  one  pint 
of  cream  with  any  liqueur  you  prefer ;  beat 
twelve  eggs  thoroughly;  strain  them;  boil 
the  cream  with  ^nq  ounces  of  sugar,  and 
when  it  is  just  off  the  boil  pour  it,  little  by 
little,  to  the  eggs ;  add  a  quarter  of  an  ounce 
of  gelatine  that  has  been  dissolved  in  ver\^ 
little  water  and  strained  to  the  custard; 
whisk  until  cold ;  have  ready  a  mould 
masked  with  candied  fruits.  To  mask,  set 
the  mould  in  a  pan  of  cracked  ice,  and  dip 
each  piece  of  fruit  in  strong  melted  jelly; 
build  up  from  the  bottom  of  the  mould  hav- 
ing all  the  fruits,  cut  about  the  thickness  of 
a  split  candied  cherry  and  near  the  size,  ar- 
ranged with  a  view  to  a  good  effect  when 
the  mould  shall  be  turned  out.  Half  freeze 
the  custard,  and  pour  it  in  the  mould  three 
inches  high ;  throw  in  some  of  the  trimmings 


RICE   A    LA   TRINCESSE.  245 

of  candied  fruit  chopped  line.  When  set, 
add  more  custard,  then  more  fruit,  until  the 
mould  is  full.  Let  it  stand  in  ice  at  least 
five  hours  before  it  is  wanted. 

Rice  d  la  Princesse. — Let  some  rice  swell 
in  water  until  quite  tender ;  proportion,  one 
cup  of  rice  to  two  (scant)  of  water ;  then  but- 
ter a  saucepan ;  put  the  rice  into  it,  with  half 
a  pint  of  milk ;  let  it  stew  gently  till  it  will 
mash  ;  the  milk  must  have  all  been  absorbed  ; 
sweeten  with  three  tablespoonfuls  of  sugar. 
Mix  with  this  a  gill  of  apricot  jam,  a  tea- 
spoonful  of  vanilla,  and  half  a  pint  of  whipped 
cream ;  freeze ;  when  well  frozen,  pack  in  a 
mould  and  bury  in  ice  and  salt.  Found  a 
dozen  macaroons ;  stir  them  into  a  pint  of 
whipped  cream ;  let  the  mixture  be  put  on 
ice.  When  the  pudding  is  turned  out  of  the 
mould,  cover  with  the  macaroon  cream,  and 
decorate  the  dish  with  cubes  of  peach  or 
apricot  jelly. 

Chocolate  Cream  Pudding. — Boil  a  quarter 
of  a  pound  of  the  finest  vanilla  chocolate  in 


246  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

half  a  pint  of  milk,  whisking  it  well  till  it 
boils;  dissolve  in  it  two  tablespoonfuls  of 
powdered  sugar.  Beat  three  half -pints  of 
cream  and  three  tablespoonfuls  of  sugar  solid 
while  the  chocolate  cools ;  when  it  is  ice  cold 
mix  in  one  half  the  beaten  cream,  and  freeze. 
Line  a  plain  mould  with  the  frozen  chocolate 
(the  remainder  of  the  whipped  cream  should 
have  been  kept  in  cracked  ice  and  salt,  so  as 
to  be  ice  cold) ;  fill  up  the  centre  of  the  mould 
with  the  cream,  cover  tight,  and  bury  in  salt 
and  ice. 

Ice~Or earns  and  Ices. — There  are  so  many- 
ways  of  making  ice-cream  that  all  one  can 
do  is  to  indicate  the  one  or  two  best,  and  cer- 
tainly the  very  best  is  the  simplest,  and  there 
is  no  dessert  so  easy  to  prepare  in  hot  weath- 
er as  this,  since  there  is  no  work  over  the  fire. 
The  only  trouble  is  breaking  the  ice  and  turn- 
ing the  machine  for  some  twenty  minutes, 
which  can  be  done  by  a  child. 

Simplest  Fruit  lee- Cream.  —  Mash  two 
pounds  of  strawberries  or  raspberries,  put 


FRUlt   ICE-CREAM.  347 

to  them  half  a  pound  of  powdered  sugar,  and 
let  them  remain  in  a  cold  place  two  or  three 
hours,  so  that  the  juice  may  run ;  then  strain 
the  juice  to  a  quart  of  thick  sweet  cream  and 
another  half  pound  of  sugar,  with  the  juice 
of  half  a  lemon;  stir,  and  pour  cream  and 
fruit  juice  into  the  freezer,  which  must  be 
packed  with  ice  and  rock-salt  in  about  equal 
quantities,  the  ice  being  broken  quite  small. 
Let  the  cream  remain  standing  in  the  freezer 
a  few  minutes  before  you  begin  to  turn ;  then 
freeze,  letting  off  the  water,  and  filling  anew 
with  ice  and  salt  if  necessary.  Stir  the  cream 
down  as  it  forms,  and  keep  on  turning  ^ve  or 
ten  minutes  after  it  is  actually  necessary. 
This  extra  working  insures  that  extreme 
smoothness  characteristic  of  Italian  and 
French  ice-cream.  If  you  are  not  expert  in 
freezing,  be  satisfied  not  to  pack  your  cream 
in  a  mould  for  the  first  few  times.  Take  out 
the  paddle  of  the  freezer,  press  the  ice  com- 
pactly dowm  in  the  freezer,  cover,  and  see 
that  the  ice  and  salt  are  sufficient  and  free 


248  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

from  water.  In  two  hours  you  can  turn  the 
ice  out  of  the  freezer  in  a  round  column  or 
loaf  that  will  be  quite  as  sightly  as  the  ob- 
long square  one  frequently  gets  from  the  ca- 
terer. Many  people  think  that  simply  freez- 
ing the  pure  cream  produces  the  loose,  frothy 
cream  found  at  inferior  confectioners',  but 
this  is  not  the  case ;  pure  cream  frozen  re- 
sults in  a  firm  smooth  mass  which  cuts  like 
butter. 

I  have  given  the  formula  for  raspberry 
and  strawberry  cream  only,  but  any  fruit 
juice  may  be  substituted,  varying  the  quan- 
tity of  sugar  as  required. 

When  it  is  desirable  to  freeze  the  fruit  in 
the  cream  instead  of  the  juice,  it  must  not  be 
added  until  the  cream  is  frozen.  Stir  in  rasp- 
berries, strawberries,  chopped  pineapple,  ba- 
nana, or  peaches  just  before  the  ice  is  ready 
to  pack  down ;  otherwise  the  fruit,  being  full 
of  water,  will  freeze  into  hard  knots. 

Ttitti-friitti  Ice- Cream  being  made  from 
chopped  candied  fruit,  this  precaution  is  not 


CUSTARD   FOR   ICE-CREAM.  249 

necessary ;  the  fruit  may  be  added  at  any 
time  during  the  freezing,  or  stirred  in  last,  as 
you  please. 

I  have  given  the  simplest  and  best  method 
of  making  ice-cream,  yet  the  way  most  in  use 
is  to  add  custard ;  and  French  cooks  always 
use  "meringue  paste,"  claiming  that  it  in- 
sures a  smoothness  and  hghtness  nothing  else 
can  give. 

Custard  for  Ice-Cream. — This  is  made  as 
any  other  custard,  except  that  double  the 
amount  of  sugar  is  allowed  for  everything 
that  is  to  be  frozen.  It  may  be  made  of 
from  three  to  six  eggs  to  a  pint  of  milk,  as 
you  prefer.  This  must  be  ice  cold  before 
you  put  it  in  the  freezer. 

Ice-Cream  with  Eggs. — One  pint  of  milk, 
three  eggs,  leaving  out  one  white,  half  a 
pound  of  sugar  (if  acid  fruit  is  to  be  added, 
it  may  require  more  for  some  tastes).  Make 
a  custard  of  these  materials,  and  half  freeze 
it ;  then  add  a  pint  of  cream  whipped  solid. 
Stir  in  well  and  finish  freezing,  turning  the 


250  CHOICE    COOKERY. 

handle  some  few  minutes  after  it  gets  pretty 
stiff,  if  there  is  a  strong  enough  hand  near 
to  do  it. 

In  making  varieties  of  ice-cream  you  have 
only  to  consider  the  fitness  of  the  articles 
you  use ;  for  instance,  any  sort  of  fruit  may 
be  added,  with  the  exception  of  lemons. 
Fleshy  fruits,  such  as  pineapple,  peaches, 
pears,  etc.,  are  usually  mixed  with  the  cream 
uncooked  in  this  country ;  abroad  this  is  only 
done  with  soft  fruits,  such  as  raspberries, 
blackberries,  oranges,  and  such  as  will  mash 
through  a  colander.  Others  are  very  slight- 
ly stewed  in  rich  syrup  (as  nearly  their 
own  juice  as  possible),  then  pulped  and 
mixed  through  when  the  cream  is  nearly 
frozen. 

In  winter,  fruit  jams,  and  especially  jellies, 
are  very  pleasant  in  ice-cream ;  they  always 
require  a  little  lemon  juice  to  restore  some  of 
the  natural  sharpness  of  fresh  fruit.  A  tum- 
bler of  red  currant  jelly  turned  into  a  pint  of 
ice-cream  is  delicious,  and  gives  a  pretty,  faint 


GRILLED   ALMOND    CREAM.  251 

pink  tint.  The  method  is  just  the  same  wheth- 
er for  custard  and  cream  or  cream  alone. 

The  meringue  paste  alluded  to  as  used  by 
foreign  confectioners  is  made  by  beating  the 
Avhite  of  an  egg  with  a  tablespoonful  of  pow- 
dered sugar  until  stiff. 

Grilled  Almoyid  Ice-Cream. — Make  a  quart 
of  ice-cream ;  grill  some  almonds  in  the  fol- 
lowing way  :  Blanch  four  ounces  of  almonds, 
dry  them  in  a  hot  spot  till  they  are  brittle ; 
then  put  in  a  thick  saucepan  or  saute  pan 
four  ounces  of  sugar  and  a  gill  of  water ;  let 
them  boil  five  minutes;  throw  in  the  al- 
monds ;  stir  them  till  part  of  the  sugar  ad- 
heres and  they  begin  to  turn  yellow.  Take 
them  up,  chop  them,  and  when  quite  cold  stir 
them  into  the  ice-cream,  which  should  be 
flavored  with  vanilla. 


XXYIII. 

ICE-CREAMS  AND   WATER-ICES. 

To  those  very  fond  of  tea,  ice-cream  made 
with  it  is  very  acceptable,  and  is  very  much 
used  at  English  garden  parties. 

Tea  Ice- Cream. — To  one  pound  of  granu- 
lated sugar  put  a  pint  of  strong  green  tea,  a 
pint  and  a  half  of  cream,  and  two  quarts  of 
rich  milk,  and  a  very  little  cinnamon  water. 
Let  the  whole  simmer  one  minute,  not  stir- 
ring, but  keeping  the  mixture  in  motion  by 
gently  swinging  the  saucepan.  Freeze  as 
usual.  This  recipe  may  be  used  for  coffee 
and  chocolate ;  it  will  make  a  large  quantity, 
and  for  a  medium-sized  family  one  quarter 
will  suffice. 

Chinese  Ice. — Beat  the  yolks  of  fifteen  eggs 
with  three  quarters  of  a  pound  of  powdered 
sugar;  pound  four  ounces  of  pistachio-nuts 


WATEK-ICES.  253 

(blanched)  with  the  white  of  an  egg ;  put  to 
it  three  gills  of  Avater ;  stir  it  over  the  fire  in 
a  double  boiler  till  it  is  as  thick  as  cream ; 
take  great  care  that  it  does  not  boil.  Color 
it  green,  or  part  green  and  part  yellow ;  fla- 
vor as  you  please ;  cut  up  a  couple  of  candied 
Chinese  oranges  small  and  a  little  preserved 
ginger,  and  freeze. 

Water-ices. — These  are  exceedingly  sim- 
ple, and  no  more  elegant  form  of  refreshment 
can  be  offered  than  a  plate  of  well-frozen  or 
a  tumbler  of  half-frozen  water-ice.  It  is  ac- 
ceptable when  ice-cream  would  be  too  heavy, 
and  can  be  offered  at  the  simplest  country 
afternoon  tea,  or  during  a  call,  without  the 
seeming  ostentation  of  ice-cream. 
^  Ginger  Water-ice  (to  serve  as  a  beverage 
if  preferred). — Take  six  ounces  of  preserved 
ginger,  free  from  fibre ;  pound  it ;  make  two 
quarts  of  lemonade  by  paring  eight  or  ten 
lemons  so  thinly  that  the  knife-blade  shows 
through  the  yellow;  put  the  peel  of  three 
in  a  pitcher  with  a  pound  and  a  quarter  of 


254  CHOICE    COOKERY. 

sugar ;  pour  two  quarts  of  boiling  water  on 
them,  and  cover ;  squeeze  and  strain  the  juice 
from  the  lemons,  add  to  the  water,  and  w^hen 
cold  stir  in  the  pounded  ginger,  with  the 
meringue  paste  made  with  the  whites  of  four 
eggs.  Freeze  it.  If  for  drinking,  only  half 
freeze,  work  only  enough  to  make  it  like 
half -melting  snow,  and  use  only  sugar  enough 
to  make  a  refreshing  drink.  Italians  call 
this  granito^  and  it  is  a  form  of  ice  not  often 
met  with  in  this  country. 

Pineapple  Water-ice. — This  can  be  readily 
made  of  canned  pineapple  when  the  fresh 
fruit  is  out  of  season.  Peel  a  pineapple; 
grate  it  into  a  mortar;  then  pound  it  well 
with  six  ounces  of  sugar ;  let  it  stand  covered 
for  an  hour;  add  the  juice  of  five  oranges^ 
and  a  pint  and  a  half  of  syrup  boiled  to  the 
little  thread,  or  a  lisse.  (This  syrup  is  much 
used  in  making  w^ater-ices,  punches,  etc.  It 
is  sugar  and  water  boiled  till  it  forms  a  little 
thread  between  thumb  and  finger.)  Mix 
well  and  freeze.    If  canned  fruit  is  used,  you 


WATER-ICES.  255 

need  less  sugar,  and  substitute  lemon  for  half 
the  orange  juice. 

Ahnond  Water-ice. — Take  one  pound  of 
almond  paste,  a  pint  and  a  half  of  water,  and 
three  quarters  of  a  pound  of  sugar ;  grate  the 
paste ;  then  stir  till  quite  dissolved.  Flavor 
with  vanilla  or  raspberry  ;  stir  in  the  w^hites 
of  two  eggs  and  some  candied  fruits  cut  up 
small.     Freeze  as  usual. 

Cinnamon  Water-ice. — This  is  a  German 
ice,  and  very  much  liked  by  those  who  are 
fond  of  the  flavor.  Pound  an  ounce  of  the 
finest  quality  of  cinnamon  in  the  stick,  put 
it  into  a  pint  and  a  half  of  boiling  water, 
and  cover  it  w^ell ;  w^hen  it  is  cold  add  a 
quart  of  syrup  (the  little  thread)  and  the 
well-beaten  whites  of  two  eggs,  and  freeze  it. 

Pistachio  Water-Ice. — Blancl],and  pound  a 
pound  of  pistachio-nuts,  using  the  white  of 
an  Qgg  to  moisten ;  mix  with  a  quart  of  syrup 
a  lisse.  Heighten  the  color,  if  too  pale,  with 
spinach  coloring,  and  flavor  to  taste.  (Pista- 
chio-nuts have  no  flavor  of  their  own,  aston- 


256  CHOICE    COOKERY. 

ishing  as  the  fact  may  seem  to  those  who 
have  heard  frequently  of  pistachio  flavor.) 
Freeze  as  usual. 

Ajpricot  Water-ice. — There  is  no  more  deli- 
cious water-ice  than  this  if  fine-flavored  apri- 
cots are  used.  The  canned  ones  are  excellent 
for  the  purpose.  Pulp  two  pounds  of  apri- 
cots through  a  sieve  or  jelly  press ;  grate  or 
pound  very  fine  fiNQ  or  six  bitter  almonds ; 
mix  with  the  pulp  the  juice  of  the  apricots 
(from  the  can),  and  a  pint  and  a  half  of  syrup, 
and  the  beaten  whites  of  three  eggs  made 
into  a  paste  with  three  tablespoonf uls  of  pow- 
dered sugar ;  stir  all  well,  and  freeze.  This 
ice  ought  to  be  the  color  of  apricots ;  if  too 
pale,  add  a  very  little  saffron  coloring. 

Currant  Water-ice.  —  A  pint  of  currant 
juice,  a  pint  of  syrup,  and  the  whites  of  three 
eggs  made  into  meringue  paste.  Freeze  as 
usual.  Any  of  these  water-ices  can  be  half 
frozen  as  granitic  and  served  in  glasses  as 
granito,  the  only  exceptions  being  the  almond 
and  pistachio  water-ices. 


GKANITI.  257 

Graniii  are  also  made  of  various  kinds 
of  light  punches  by  adding  to  a  quart  of  the 
usual  punch  recipe  a  quart  of  sweetened 
water.  Any  summer  beverage  made  from 
fruit  juice  can  be  turned  into  a  granito, 
by  half  freezing,  in  either  of  the  following 
ways  : 

To  Freeze  Graniti. — Mix  the  beverage  you 
intend  to  freeze,  for  instance,  ive  will  say,  a 
pint  of  very  strong,  clear,  bright  coffee  and 
half  a  pint  of  syrup  a  lisse.  Put  them  into 
the  freezer  and  turn ;  as  it  becomes  frozen 
up  the  sides,  scrape  it  down  wath  a  spoon, 
and  remember,  as  soon  as  it  resembles  snowy 
water  (not  white,  of  course)  it  is  frozen 
enough.  It  must  be  just  liquid  enough  to 
pour  out. 

There  is  a  second  way  of  freezing  graniti 
by  which  they  can  be  put  on  the  table  in  the 
vessel  in  which  they  were  frozen.  Place  the 
mixture  in  Avide-mouthed  water-bottles,  twirl 
them  round  in  ice  and  salt,  and,  as  the  con- 
tents become  frozen  on  the  inside  of  the  bot- 
17 


258  CHOICE    COOKERY. 

tie,  scrape  down  with  a  narrow  wooden  stick 
or  spatula.  When  frozen  in  perfection  the 
bottle  should  seem  half  filled  with  tiny 
crystals. 

Claret  Granito. — To  one  pint  of  orangeade 
add  a  bottle  of  claret.     Half  freeze. 

Sherry  Granito. — To  one  quart  of  lemon- 
ade add  a  bottle  of  sherry,  and  freeze. 

The  housekeeper  who  lives  far  from  a  large 
city  will  need  materials  for  many  of  the  reci- 
pes given  in  these  papers  and  others  which 
she  will  meet  with  in  books  on  high-class 
cooking.  Many  of  these  can  be  sent  for  by 
mail,  and  all,  of  course,  by  express ;  but  it 
will  often  not  seem  worth  while  to  send  per- 
haps for  one  small  bottle  that  we  may  lack. 
For  this  reason  I  give  a  few  directions  for 
preparing  very  tolerable  imitations  of  liq- 
ueurs, which,  however,  unless  it  were  a  ques- 
tion of  economy,  it  might  not  be  worth  while 
doing  if  within  reach  of  stores. 

Curagoa. — Pare  a  dozen  and  a  half  of  dead- 
ripe  oranges  so  thin  that  you  can  see  the 


LIQUEURS.  259 

knife  pass  under  the  rind ;  pound  one  dram 
of  finest  cinnamon  and  half  a  dram  of  mace ; 
put  them  to  steep  for  fifteen  days  in  a  gallon 
of  pure  alcohol,  shaking  it  every  day.  Make 
a  clarified  syrup  of  four  pounds  of  sugar  and 
one  quart  of  water  well  boiled  and  skimmed ; 
add  this  to  the  cura9oa.  Kub  up  in  a  mortar 
one  dram  of  potash  with  a  teaspoonful  of 
the  liqueur;  when  well  mixed  add  it,  and 
then  do  the  same  with  a  dram  of  alum.  Shake 
well,  and  in  an  hour  or  two  filter  through 
thin  muslin.  It  Avill  be  ready  for  use  in  a 
a  week. 

Maraschino. — Bruise  two  ounces  of  cherry 
kernels  and  one  of  bitter  almonds  ;  put  them 
in  a  deep  jar  with  the  thin  outer  rind  of 
twelve  oranges  and  five  lemons.  Steep  in 
one  gallon  of  English  gin  or  alcohol.  Let 
the  whole  stand  a  fortnight,  then  filter  and 
bottle. 

Ratafia. — Blanch  the  kernels  of  uncooked 
peaches  or  apricots,  and  when  you  have  two 
ounces  ppund  them,  and  pour  to  them  a  quart 


260  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

of  gin  or  alcohol  and  the  thin  yellow  rind  of 
two  lemons.  Sweeten  with  a  pound  of  white 
sugar-candy,  and  leave  the  whole  for  two 
months ;  then  filter  and  bottle  for  use. 

Candied  Orange  and  Lemon  Peels. — These 
are  invaluable  both  as  decoration  for  certain 
desserts  and  for  culinary  purposes,  and  as 
they  are  not  always  to  be  found  except  in 
the  larger  cities,  the  method  of  preparing 
them  is  here  given :  Throw  the  peels  into 
salt  and  water,  all  pulp  being  removed,  but 
the  white  part  must  be  left  untouched;  in 
fact,  the  thicker  the  peel  the  better  for  the 
purpose,  thin-skinned  oranges  being  of  no  use 
for  candying.  Let  them  remain  in  the  salt 
and  w^ater  from  nine  days  to  three  weeks; 
then  wash  them,  put  them  on  the  fire  in  cold 
water,  and  let  them  boil  till  perfectly  tender, 
yet  they  must  not  be  mushy.  During  the 
time  they  are  boiling  change  the  water  until 
it  no  longer  tastes  salt.  Lemon-peels  may 
take  from  three  to  four  hours'  boiling,  orange- 
peels  less ;  but  remember,  should  the  lemon- 


CANDIED  ORANGE  AND  LEMON  PEELS.        261 

peel  not  be  quite  tender,  it  will  harden  when 
it  goes  into  syrup,  and  instead  of  a  rich 
sweetmeat  there  will  be  only  w^oody  chips. 
Drain  the  peels,  and  make  a  thin  syrup  of  a 
pint  of  water  to  each  pound  of  sugar.  Let 
it  boil  five  minutes ;  then  throw  in  the  peels ; 
they  must  boil  gently  in  this  until  they  are 
clear  and  the  syrup  has  become  thick  — 
almost  boiled  away,  in  fact.  Now  make 
another  syrup,  half  a  pint  of  water  to  two 
pounds  of  sugar ;  let  it  boil  till  clear  and  till 
there  is  a  short  hair  from  the  fork.  N^ow 
put  in  the  peels  (which  must  have  been 
drained  from  the  other  syrup) ;  remove  from 
the  fire ;  stir  them  round  till  the  syrup  looks 
whitish ;  then  lift  each  piece  out  and  lay  it 
on  a  dish  on  Avhich  granulated  sugar  has 
been  freely  sprinkled. 

Both  orange  and  lemon  peels  are  candied 
by  the  same  process,  but  they  must  never  be 
put  in  the  same  vessel  of  salt  and  water,  nor 
must  they  be  candied  together,  or  the  dis- 
tinctive flavors  would  be  lost. 


XXIX. 

MISCELLANEOUS  SWEETS. 

Under  this  head  I  intend  to  give  a  few 
sweets  that  seem  to  me  unusually  good,  al- 
though they  may  not  always  be  novel,  ex- 
cept in  manner  of  serving.  A  compote  of 
fruit  has  nothing  new  about  it,  yet  by  the 
way  in  which  it  is  served  it  may  simply  be 
"  stewed  fruit,"  or  it  may  be  a  dish  fit  to 
find  a  place  even  in  choice  cookery. 

In  making  compotes  great  care  must  be 
taken  to  preserve  the  shape  and  color  of  the 
fruits.  In  order  to  do  this  they  must  be 
quickly  peeled  and  dipped  into  strong  lemon 
juice  and  water,  and  dropped  into  syrup  in 
which  also  a  little  lemon  juice  has  been 
squeezed.  Pass  the  blade  of  the  knife  over 
its  own  marks  to  obliterate  the  appearance 
of  peeling.     Peaches  and  apricots  may  be 


MISCELLANEOUS    SWEETS.  263 

boiled  up  without  peeling,  and  (unless  they 
are  allowed  to  get  too  soft)  the  skins  will  be 
removed  easily.  It  will  be  observed  that 
hard  fruits  such  as  apples  are  simmered  in 
thin  s^^rup  to  get  tender,  while  rich  soft 
fruits  are  dropped  into  syrup  boiled  to  candy 
height. 

Apple  Compote  No.  1. —  Cut  up  and  boil 
half  a  dozen  apples  in  a  pint  of  water.  When 
they  are  quite  soft  strain  the  juice  from  them 
without  squeezing ;  put  to  it  half  a  pound  of 
granulated  sugar  and  the  zest  of  a  lemon 
(the  zest  is  the  peel  so  thin  that  the  knife 
blade  can  be  seen  through  it  while  paring), 
together  with  the  juice.  Let  this  syrup  boil 
for  a  minute;  skim  it.  Then  pare  half  a 
dozen  fine  cooking  apples ;  core  them ;  let 
them  boil  gently  in  the  syrup  until  quite 
tender,  but  not  in  danger  of  breaking.  Take 
them  up  on  a  perforated  skimmer.  When 
cold,  put  the  apples  into  a  compote  dish. 
Boil  the  juice  to  a  jelly ;  pour  part  of  it  over 
the  apples ;  dip  a  plate  in  cold  water,  drain 


264  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

it,  and  then  pour  out  the  rest  of  the  jelly  into 
it :  it  should  only  cover  it  about  the  thick 
ness  of  thick  paper.  When  stiff,  Avarm  the 
under-side  of  the  plate  very  slightly,  pass  a 
broad  thin  knife  under,  and  lay  the  sheet  oi 
jelly  over  the  apples  in  the  compote  dish. 

Apple  Compote  Xo.  2. — Prepare  the  apples 
as  in  last  recipe,  but  before  the  last  sheet  oi 
jelly  is  laid  over  them  ornament  with  rings 
and  leaves  of  angelica,  and  any  red  jelly  or 
preserve  cut  in  thin  slices  and  stamped  out 
with  tiny  tin  cutters  in  leaves,  stars,  or  fancy 
shapes  (stiff  red  currant  jelly  or  red  quince 
may  be  used);  decorate  thus  each  apple; 
then  lay  the  thin  sheet  of  apple  jelly  over  all. 

Compote  of  Stuffed  Ajyples. — Prepare  the 
apples  as  in  the  foregoing  recipes,  taking 
care  to  core  them  all  through  without  split- 
ting the  apple.  When  the  apples  are  done, 
fill  the  centre  with  orange  marmalade  or 
apricot  preserve.  Boil  the  syrup  down  till 
it  will  glaze ;  pour  it  over  the  apples  Avhen 
they  are  ice-cold,  the  syrup  also  only  warm 


MISCELLANEOUS    SWEETS.  2G5 

enough  to  remain  liquid.  By  this  means 
the  rich  coating  will  remain  over  the  apples, 
while  if  both  w^ere  w^arm  it  w^ould  run  off. 

Compote  of  Aiyjples  or  Pears  Grille. — If  you 
have  any  apples  or  pears  left  from  a  compote 
(or  you  may,  of  course,  prepare  them  especial- 
ly), put  them  into  a  frying  or  saute  pan  over 
a  brisk  fire ;  put  w^ith  them  any  syrup  there 
may  be  and  a  cup  of  sugar  just  dissolved  in 
water ;  boil  rapidly  down  to  a  pale  caramel, 
roUing  the  apples  with  a  fork  so  that  they 
become  covered  wntli  the  caramel.  Take 
great  care  that  the  syrup  does  not  burn ;  re- 
move it  from  the  fire  the  moment  it  begins 
to  change  color.  The  apples  should  now  have 
an  even  glossy  surface ;  as  each  is  finished 
put  it  at  once  into  the  compotier.  Pour  a  lit- 
tle cura9oa  syrup  round  just  before  sending 
to  table. 

Compote  of  Apple  Marmalade.  —  This  is 
not  so  troublesome  to  make  as  it  sounds,  es- 
pecially to  any  one  who  has  made  glace  nuts 
— a  very  general  accomplishment  nowadays. 


266  CHOICE    COOKERY. 

Reduce  some  apple  marmalade  by  leaving  it 
for  an  hour  or  two  in  a  double  boiler;  the 
water  boiling  round  it  will  evaporate  moist- 
ure without  danger  of  burning.  Stir  occa- 
sionallv,  and  when  the  marmalade  is  so  re- 
duced that  it  will  make  a  firm  paste  when 
cold  (try  a  little  in  a  saucer  on  ice),  color  one 
half  pink  with  cochineal.  Spread  half  an  inch 
thick  on  plates  slightly  oiled  ;  when  stiff  and 
cold,  cut  out  the  marmalade  into  squares, 
ovals,  diamonds,  leaves,  etc.,  w^ith  tin  cutters. 
Boil  a  pound  of  sugar  with  a  gill  of  water  to 
the  crack — that  is,  until  a  teaspoohf  ul  dropped 
in  ice- water  will  crack  between  the  teeth. 
Oil  a  fork  and  a  large  dish,  and  use  the  fork 
to  drop  the  pieces  of  marmalade  into  the 
candy ;  lift  them  out  quickly,  and  lay  them 
on  the  dish,  which  will  be  better  if  it  is  set 
on  ice.  When  they  are  cold,  dish  them  in  a 
pyramid,  the  pink  to  contrast  w4th  the  white 
effectively.  Pour  a  little  liqueur-flavored 
syrup  round  the  base  of  the  fruit. 

Compote  of  Pears  {white). — Use  any  fine- 


MISCELLANEOUS    SWEETS.  267 

flavored  dessert  pears.  Cut  them  in  halves, 
core,  pare,  and  trim  neatly,  and  simmer  them 
in  syrup  (a  pound  of  sugar  and  juice  of  half 
a  lemon  to  a  pint  of  water)  till  they  are  ten- 
der, yet  firm  to  the  touch.  Dish  the  pieces, 
keeping  them  close  to  each  other.  Lay  a 
thin  sheet  of  apple  jelly  over  them,  and  the 
syrup,  boiled  down  till  rich  and  thick,  round 
them. 

A  Pink  Compote  is  prepared  in  the  same 
way,  the  only  difference  being  that  a  very 
few  drops  of  cochineal  are  added  to  the 
syrup  before  the  pears  go  in.  Decorate  with 
angelica. 

Pears  d  la  Princesse.  Select  seven  pears 
of  the  best  quality,  without  blemish,  and  of 
equal  size ;  pare  them  with  great  care ;  stand 
them  close  together  in  a  saucepan,  with  weak 
acidulated  syrup  to  cover  them ;  simmer 
slowly  till  quite  tender,  but  yet  firm  to  the 
touch ;  take  them  up,  leaving  the  syrup  to 
boil  down.  When  cold,  cut  the  stalk  end 
off  each  pear  about  an  inch  deep,  or  so  as 


268  CHOICE    COOKERY. 

to  leave  about  an  inch  of  surface,  on  which 
place  a  ring  of  angelica  (simply  cut  angelica 
crosswise  and  it  forms  rings,  being  tubular) ; 
if  the  rings  are  flattened,  lay  them  in  syrup ; 
when  softened  bend  tliem  round  and  lay  one 
on  each  pear ;  then,  if  in  season,  dip  a  fine 
strawberry  or  stoned  red  cherry  in  the  hot 
syrup  and  lay  it  on  the  ring  of  angelica.  Cut 
strips  of  angelica  and  run  them  through  the 
strawberry  down  to  the  pear,  both  to  hold 
the  decoration  in  place  and  to  represent  the 
stalk  ;  dish  them  standing ;  when  dished  up, 
pour  some  syrup,  boiled  till  tliick  and  rich, 
over  the  seven  pears.  When  fresh  fruit  is  not 
in  season  for  decoration,  use  candied  cherries. 
Yariegated  Compote  of  Pears. — This  is  a 
pretty  dish.  Prepare  some  pears  as  in  the 
last  recipe,  except  that  the  tops  are  not  to  be 
cut  off ;  color  half  the  number  a  pale  pink  by 
adding  a  few  drops  of  cochineal  to  the  syrup 
in  which  they  are  simmered ;  dress  them  al- 
ternately, a  pink  pear  and  a  white  one,  in 
the  compotier ;  pour  over  each  the  pink  and 


MISCELLANEOUS    SWEETS.  269 

white  syrup  in  which  they  were  cooked,  and 
pour  syrup  flavored  with  vanilla  round  them. 

Compote  of  Oranges. — Divide  six  oranges 
in  halves  ;  first  cut  out  the  centre  string  of 
pith,  pick  all  pips  out  carefully,  and  with  a 
very  sharp  knife  pare  off  the  peel  of  the 
orange  down  to  the  naked  transparent  pulp ; 
in  this  w^ay  you  get  rid  of  the  w^hole  of  the 
white  outside  skin.  Place  the  halves  as  you 
do  them  in  a  bowl ;  pour  over  them  some 
hot  syrup  boiled  a  lisse,  flavored  with  orange 
peel,  rubbed  wath  lump  sugar,  and  previously 
dissolved  in  the  syrup ;  a  very  little  lemon 
juice  should  be  added  if  the  oranges  are  very 
sweet.  Let  them  steep  a  few  minutes  ;  then 
remove  them  ;  then  build  the  oranges  into  a 
pyramid  on  the  compotier,  and  the  last  thing 
before  going  to  table  pour  the  syrup,  well 
boiled  and  cold,  over  them. 

Chestnut  Compote.  —  Take  the  largest 
French  or  Spanish  chestnuts,  make  slits  in 
the  peel,  and  boil  till  tender ;  take  off  the 
shell,  and  press  them  flat  without  breaking ; 


270  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

lay  them  in  a  saucepan ;  pour  over  them 
thick  syrup ;  put  them  in  the  oven,  but  do 
not  let  them  boil;  when  they  look  quite 
clear  take  them  up,  put  them  into  the  com- 
potier,  boil  the  syrup  to  candy  height,  squeeze 
into  the  compotier  the  juice  of  an  orange, 
and  pour  the  candy  over  the  chestnuts. 

Chestnut  Compote  IS^o.  2. — Prepare  the  nuts 
as  in  last  recipe ;  put  the  yolks  of  three  eggs 
in  a  saucepan ;  stir  gradually  to  them  a  pint 
of  cream ;  cook  a  quarter  of  a  pound  of  sugar 
to  the  crack,  with  a  few  dried  orange  flowers ; 
the  minute  the  candy  begins  to  get  yellowish 
pour  it  into  the  cream,  stirring  constantly, 
and  let  it  come  to  boiling-point ;  then  strain 
the  cream  over  the  chestnuts. 


XXX. 

MISCELLANEOUS   SWEETS.—  Continued. 

Strawberries,  raspberries,  currants,  etc., 
need  very  little  cooking,  and  that  little  in 
high  candy.  If  it  is  understood  that  strong 
syrup  tends  to  make  fruit  firm,  and  Aveak 
syrup  to  make  it  tender,  it  will  be  seen  why 
all  soft  fruit,  in  order  to  keep  its  shape, 
should  be  dropped  into  candy  boiled  till  brit- 
tle, and  why  apples  and  other  hard  fruits 
should  be  first  stewed  in  weak  syrup  until 
soft ;  yet  there  are  degrees ;  for  instance, 
hard  peaches  require  thin  syrup,  and  very 
luscious  ones  must  be  put  into  syrup  that  is 
very  near  candy.  This  is  also  the  case  with 
pears.  Be  guided  as  to  the  strength  of  the 
syrup  by  the  kind  of  fruit.  Avoid  fruit  that 
is  very  ripe,  because  the  syrup  from  it  will 
not  jelly  readily. 


272  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

Compote  of  Strawberries. — Select  a  quart 
of  fine  large  berries,  rather  under  than  over 
ripe ;  boil  three  quarters  of  a  pound  of  sugar 
to  the  crack ;  drop  the  strawberries  into  the 
syrup  after  it  is  removed  from  the  fire ;  re- 
turn them  to  the  range ;  let  them  boil  gen- 
tly once ;  take  out  the  berries  most  carefully 
with  the  skimmer ;  lay  them  on  the  compo- 
tier ;  boil  the  syrup  fast,  skimming  it  care- 
fully ;  then  pour  it  over  the  fruit. 

Compote  of  Cherries  is  made  in  the  same 
way,  with  the  finest  red  cherries,  only  they 
require  to  boil  up  several  times.  When 
clear,  drain  them  with  the  skimmer;  lay 
them  in  the  compote  dishes ;  add  a  gill  of 
red  currant  juice  to  the  sj^rup;  boil  it  till 
it  is  a  weak  jelly;  then  throw  it  over  the 
cherries  when  nearly  cold. 

Orange  Baskets  Filled  with  Fruits. — Select 
seven  oranges,  not  too  large,  but  all  the  same 
size.  With  a  very  sharp  knife  pare  the  fruit 
as  thin  as  possible — so  thin  that  it  still  re- 
mains  yellow,  and  only  the   shining  outer 


MISCELLANEOUS    SWEETS.  273 

surface  is  removed  (in  fact,  it  may  be  ligbtly 
grated  off,  but  that  is  more  trouble),  to  ren- 
der them  transparent ;  cut  two  quarters  out 
of  the  upper  part  of  the  orange,  so  as  to 
leave  a  narrow  band  half  an  inch  wide,  which 
Avill  form  the  handle ;  pass  the  knife  care- 
fully round  inside  the  band,  so  as  to  remove 
the  strip  of  pulp.  With  the  bowl  of  a  tea- 
spoon detach  the  remaining  pulp  from  the 
inside  without  in  any  way  damaging  the 
shape  of  the  basket.  As  you  prepare  them, 
drop  them  in  a  saucepan  of  cold  w^ater,  and 
then  put  them  into  boiling  water,  and  sim- 
mer three  minutes  gently.  This  is  only  to 
soften  the  peel  and  enable  you  to  stamp  out 
the  edges  with  a  perforating  cutter,  if  you 
have  one,  which  will  give  them  an  open- 
work effect ;  if  not,  just  scallop  them  with 
scissors,  and  snip  out  a  sort  of  trellis-work  to 
increase  the  basket  effect.  Put  them  into  a 
preserving -kettle  with  weak  syrup  a  lisse, 
boil  them  gently  till  they  look  clear,  then 
put  them  aside  in  the  syrup  till  next  day ; 
18 


274  CHOICE    COOKERY. 

boil  the  syrup  twice  alone  at  intervals  of 
several  hours,  and  throw  it  over  the  baskets. 
These  baskets  may  be  kept  ready  prepared 
for  months  by  putting  them  in  wide  jars 
and  covering  them  with  syrup.  When  re- 
quired for  use,  they  must  be  taken  out, 
drained  thoroughly,  and  then  filled  with  a 
variety  of  small  fruits,  such  as  cherries,  straw- 
berries, currants,  etc.,  which  have  been  mixed 
with  a  little  apple  or  orange  jelly.  In  win- 
ter, ambrosia — a  mixture  of  cut-up  banana, 
grated  cocoa-nut,  orange  quarters,  etc. — may 
be  served  in  them,  or  a  mixture  of  preserved 
fruits  that  are  firm,  such  as  Chinese  oranges, 
limes,  ginger,  etc.  In  all  cases  serve  them 
on  a  compote  dish,  and  throw  over  them 
syrup  flavored  with  maraschino. 

Lemon  Bashets  are  prepared  precisely  as 
the  orange  baskets,  but  they  require  longer 
boiling,  and  the  syrup  they  are  served  with 
should  be  flavored  with  citronelle  or  the 
rasped  peel  of  green  limes. 

Orange  Baskets    Glace,  —  These  are  not 


MISCELLANEOUS    SWEETS.  275 

much  more  trouble  than  the  baskets  simply 
preserved,  but  if  successfully  done  they  can 
be  very  effectively  filled  with  candies  or  ice- 
cream. Prepare  the  baskets  as  in  last  recipe, 
drain  them  on  a  napkin,  very  carefully  re- 
move all  moisture  from  the  inside,  and  set 
them  over  a  register,  or  in  an  oven  with  the 
door  open,  to  dry.  Boil  two  pounds  of  sugar 
with  a  pint  of  water  and  two  tablespoonfuls 
of  vinegar  till  it  begins  to  change  color  (this 
is  some  little  time  after  the  brittle  stage  is 
reached,  and  is  called  caramel) ;  lightly  oil 
the  skimmer,  and  drop  a  basket  in  the  candy ; 
remove  as  quickly  as  possible,  but  see  that 
the  whole  is  well  coated,  yet  has  as  little 
superfluous  candy  as  possible,  for  which  rea- 
son the  baskets  must  be  warm  when  they 
are  dij)ped,  also  the  skimmer.  You  must 
not  leave  the  candy  on  the  fire  after  it  hegins 
to  change  color,  but  the  work  of  coating  the 
baskets  had  better  be  done  quite  near  the 
fire,  with  the  pot  containing  the  candy  on 
some  part  of  it  where  it  will  be  kept  hot. 


276  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

but  not  cook.  They  must  be  slipped  on  to 
an  oiled  dish,  and,  needless  to  say,  most  care- 
fully handled. 

Other  baskets  are  made  with  nougat,  oth- 
ers with  pastry,  and  the  Swiss  make  what 
they  call  Yacheriri  with  almond  paste,  and 
serv^e  whipped  cream  in  them ;  but  the  idea 
may  be  extended  and  improved  upon  by 
serving  dried  fruits  or  candies,  or  ice-cream 
in  them,  and  they  are  a  decided  improve- 
ment on  the  paper  baskets  so  often  used  for 
the  last  purpose,  being  eatable. 

Siviss  Vacherin. — Take  half  a  pound  of 
almond  paste,  three  quarters  of  a  pound  of 
confectioners'  sugar,  and  the  white  of  one 
egg.  Shave  the  almond  paste,  stir  the  egg 
and  sugar  together,  and  flavor  with  a  little 
orange-flower  water  or  wine;  work  all  to- 
gether with  the  hand  into  a  smooth,  stiff 
paste  that  will  roll  out ;  if  there  is  a  disposi- 
tion to  crack  or  crumble,  use  more  white  of 
egg  and  almond  paste.  !Roll  it  just  as  you 
would  pie  crust  on  the  pastry  board,  using 


MISCELLANEOUS    SWEETS.  377 

confectioners'  sugar  in  place  of  flour.  Line 
small  cups  or  tartlet  moulds,  or  anything 
that  will  make  a  good  form  for  baskets, 
which  have  been  very  slightly  oiled.  Put 
them  aside  to  harden  and  dry.  Chop  a 
tablespoonful  of  blanched  pistachio-nuts  till 
they  are  as  fine  as  corn-meal,  mix  with  an 
equal  quantity  of  granulated  sugar.  Trim 
the  edges  of  the  cups  or  baskets  w^ith  scis- 
sors, turn  them  out  of  the  moulds,  very  care- 
fully dip  the  edges  in  a  saucer  containing 
white  of  egg  beaten  to  liquid — the  edges 
only  need  to  be  just  wet.  Have  the  chopped 
pistachio-nuts  and  sugar  also  in  a  saucer,  dip 
the  wet  edge  of  the  cup  lightly  into  it,  and 
shake  gently.  If  properly  done,  the  cups 
will  now  have  a  pretty  green  border.  When 
these  are  filled  with  whipped  cream,  sweet- 
ened, flavored,  and  colored,  they  are  called 
Swiss  Vacher in.  Filled  with  plain  whipped 
cream,  and  the  top  covered  with  strawber- 
ries, they  are  called  "  Chantilly  cups,"  but 
they  may  be  used  in  many  decorative  ways. 


278  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

to   hold   preserves   or   candied  fruits,  etc., 
etc. 

Little  China  Dishes. — This  quaint  recipe 
is  from  the  immortal  Mrs.  Glasse,  and  on 
trial  was  found  so  unique  and  agreeable  a 
variety  to  our  modern  fancies  that  with  some 
little  changes  to  suit  our  present  ideas  I  give 
the  last -century  dainty.  If  you  have  any 
pretty-shaped  little  tin  dishes,  without  flut- 
ing, to  mould  and  bake  them  in,  they  are 
very  little  trouble  to  make.  Take  the  yolks 
of  two  eggs,  two  small  tablespoonfuls  of 
sherry,  and  one  of  rose-water,  beat  together 
only  enough  to  mix,  then  use  as  much  fine 
flour  as  will  make  a  firm  paste  that  can  be 
rolled  out  exceedingly  thin.  Cover  some 
nicely  shaped  little  tins  slightly  buttered,, 
press  to  the  form,  be  careful  the  paste  fits 
without  creases,  and  bake  in  a  cool  oven. 
When  the  paste  is  crisp,  with  very  little 
change  of  color,  they  are  done.  Do  not 
touch  them  till  they  are  cold,  as  they  may 
be  brittle.     Stir  the  white  of  an  egg  with  a 


MISCELLANEOUS    SWEETS.  279 

tablespoonful  of  rose-water  and  confection- 
ers' sugar  enough  to  make  a  smooth  icing; 
squeeze  in  the  juice  of  half  a  lemon,  and 
when  the  little  dishes  are  cold,  ice  the  under 
side  only  just  thick  enough  to  mask  the 
pastry ;  when  they  are  dry  and  hard,  turn 
them  over  and  ice  the  inside ;  do  this  with 
great  smoothness,  to  look  as  much  like  por- 
celain as  possible.  If  you  choose,  when  the 
icing  is  quite  hard,  you  can  w^et  the  edge  of 
the  dishes  with  w^hite  of  egg  and  dip  tliem 
in  chopped  pistachio-nuts  and  sugar,  like  the 
Chantilly  baskets,  or  in  nonpareils  (the  small- 
est size).  They  may  be  used  to  serve  any- 
thing sweet,  from  jelly  to  candies. 

Almond  Trifles. — With  the  almond  paste 
used  for  Chantilly  cups  many  trifles  may 
be  made  with  very  little  trouble  ;  for  in- 
stance, mix  a  tablespoonful  of  flour  with 
the  paste ;  roll  it  out ;  cut  into  circles ;  pinch 
up  two  sides ;  place  a  little  handle  over  the 
centre,  and  in  each  open  end,  which  must  be 
bent  slightly  upward,  place  a  candied  cherry. 


280  CHOICE    COOKERY. 

Or  cut  a  number  of  thin  strips  of  paste,  stick 
them  together  in  the  middle  with  white  of 
egg,  pass  a  strip  of  almond  paste  round  so 
that  the  strips  look  like  fagots  of  sticks,  let 
them  just  color  in  the  oven,  sift  sugar  over 
them,  and  put  them  away.  The  paste  may 
be  rolled  as  thick  as  a  pipe-stem  and  tied  in 
knots,  the  surface  just  moistened,  and  sugar 
sifted  over  them;  these  also  must  only  just 
take  color  in  the  oven.  These  are  only  sug- 
gestions for  using  up  the  trimmings  from 
the  cups. 


XXXI. 

MISCELLANEOUS  SWEETS.— Con^mw^d 

Baspberry  Charlotte  Btisse. — The  simplest 
and  quite  the  most  effective  way  of  making 
charlottes  of  any  kind  is  the  following  :  Take 
a  strip  of  light  cartridge  or  drawing  paper 
from  two  to  three  inches  wide,  measure  it 
round  a  mould  the  size  you  wish  the  char- 
lotte to  be,  and  cut  it  an  inch  larger ;  piece 
the  two  ends  together,  lapping  an  inch. 
Lay  this  paper  circle  on  an  ornamental  dish 
(the  one  you  wish  to  use),  split  lady-fingers, 
and  stand  them  around  it  inside  like  a  picket- 
fence,  only  as  close  together  as  they  will  go, 
inserting  a  pin  from  the  outside  through 
the  paper  and  each  cake  as  you  do  it.  When 
you  have  lined  the  paper  completely  you  will 
have  a  close  frame  of  lady -fingers  held  in 
place  by  pins.    Whip  a  pint  of  perfectly  sweet 


282  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

cream  that  is  at  least  twenty-four  hours  old 
and  has  been  thoroughly  chilled  on  ice. 
Sweeten  the  cream  with  two  tablespoonfuls 
of  powdered  sugar,  and  flavor  it  with  a  table- 
spoonful  of  raspberry ^'?^^c^  (not  syrup)  mixed 
with  a  tablespoonful  of  powdered  sugar; 
sometimes  the  raspberry  juice  will  color  the 
cream  a  beautiful  faint  pink,  w^hich  cannot 
be  improved  upon,  but  if '  it  is  not  bright 
enough  in  tint  stir  in  one  or  two  drops  of 
cochineal.  If  the  weather  is  w^arm  stand 
the  vessel  containing  the  cream  in  ice ;  then 
beat  without  stopping  to  skim  the  froth  as 
it  rises.  In  about  ten  to  fifteen  minutes  the 
cream  ought  to  be  perfectly  solid  if  all  the 
conditions  were  observed,  and  the  beating 
carried  on  in  a  cool,  airy  room.  If,  how- 
ever, the  cream  is  not  solid  enough  to  keep 
shape,  set  it  on  ice  for  an  hour  and  beat 
again.  Fill  the  centre  of  the  frame  of  lady- 
fingers,  piling  it  high ;  decorate  either  with 
chopped  pistachio-nuts  lightly  sprinkled,  or 
with  rings  of  angelica.     The  rasipberry  juice 


MISCELLANEOUS    SWEETS.  283 

used  for  flavoring  is  to  be  obtained  at  first- 
class  druggists',  where  the  best  quality  of 
soda-water  is  sold.  It  is  unsweetened,  and 
although  I  have  kept  it  two  or  three  months 
in  cool  weather,  it  often  will  not  keep  many 
weeks ;  it  is  therefore  better  to  buy  it  by  the 
gill  or  half-pint,  if  your  druggist  will  sell  it 
so,  than  to  buy  a  large  bottle,  although  it  is 
so  useful  for  making  raspberry  jelly,  rasp- 
berry shrub,  and  many  other  things,  that 
even  a  bottle  is  not  likely  to  be  w^asted.  It 
must  not  be  confused  with  raspberry  syrmp, 
which  is  heavily  sweetened,  but  not  nearly 
so  fragrant.  Before  serving  the  charlotte 
remove  the  pins  and  take  the  paper  off. 

Charlotte  liiisse  with  Gelatine. — Prepare  a 
frame  as  in  last  recipe,  also  beat  a  pint  of 
cream  sweetened  and  flavored  with  wine  or 
to  taste ;  melt  in  a  pint  of  milk  half  an  ounce 
of  gelatine.  The  French  gelatine  is  very 
pure,  easy  to  melt,  and  no  more  expensive 
than  any  other  good  kind,  and  for  delicate 
uses  preferable  to  them.     Make  the  gela- 


284  CHOICE   COOKEEY. 

tine  and  milk  into  a  custard  with  two  eggs, 
sweeten  with  two  tablespoonfuls  of  sugar, 
flavor  to  taste,  and  put  to  get  cold,  stirring 
it  once  in  a  while ;  when  it  begins  to  thicken 
round  the  sides  of  the  vessel  beat  with  the 
egg-beater  till  foamy.  You  have  now  a  ves- 
sel of  whipped  custard  and  one  of  whipped 
cream,  both  cold ;  now  mix  the  cream  into 
the  custard,  a  little  at  a  time,  giving  the 
spoon  a  light  upward  movement ;  do  not  stir 
it ;  that  deadens  the  cream ;  your  object  is 
to  keep  it  light;  when  all  is  mixed,  fill  the 
frame  of  cake  with  the  spongy  mixture ;  dec- 
orate it  either  with  drops  and  pipings  of  the 
mixture  applied  to  the  smooth  surface,  or 
with  candied  fruits  cut  into  forms  or  various 
colored  jellies. 

Of  course  a  charlotte  russe  can  be  varied 
in  many  ways.  It  may  be  filled  with  the 
custard  made  with  chocolate,  and  so  be  brown 
charlotte,  or  the  filhng  may  have  apricot  or 
currant  jelly  whipped  into  it  with  the  gela- 
tine ;  this  is  an  admirable  change. 


MISCELLANEOUS    SWEETS.  285 

Almond  Turban. — Make  half  a  pound  of 
fine  puff -paste,  give  it  nine  turns,  roll  it  the 
last  time  to  the  thickness  of  a  dollar ;  have 
ready  half  a  pound  of  almonds,  blanched 
and  chopped ;  put  them  in  a  bowl  with  half 
a  pound  of  powdered  sugar  and  the  whites 
of  two  eggs,  adding  a  very  little  more  if  the 
icing  is  too  stiff  to  spread;  spread  the  al- 
mond icing  on  the  pastry  as  thick  as  a  twen- 
ty-five-cent piece ;  with  a  sharp  knife  cut  the 
pastry  into  strips  two  and  a  half  inches  long 
and  one  in  breadth ;  bake  these  in  a  mod- 
erate oven  a  very  pale  brown ;  make  a  cir- 
cle on  a  dish  of  some  firm  marmalade  or 
jam ;  when  the  almond  cakes  are  cold,  dress 
them  in  a  crown  on  the  jam,  which  serves  to 
keep  them  in  place;  fill  the  centre  of  the 
turban  with  vanilla  ice  -  cream  or  simple 
whipped  cream. 

Fi7ie  Small  Calces  for  Dessert. — It  may  not 
be  worth  the  while  of  a  busy  housekeeper 
within  reach  of  a  first-class  confectioner's  to 
make  these,  because,  although  when  of  fine 


286  CHOICE    COOKERY. 

quality  they  are  always  expensive,  yet  they 
are  also  tedious  to  make.  Man}^,  however, 
live  in  country  towns,  where  there  is  no  pos- 
sibility of  obtaining  anything  better  than  the 
sandy  products  of  the  country  bakery. 

A  few  really  fine  cakes  can  be  made  at  a 
time,  and  kept  in  an  air-tight  box,  with  lay- 
ers of  paper  between,  for  some  time.  In 
speaking,  however,  of  the  tediousness  I  would 
not  discourage  the  reader,  for  there  are  few 
more  tedious  things  in  cooking  than  the  roll- 
ing out,  making,  and  baking  of  thin  cookies 
or  ginger-snaps,  and  the  result  attained  so 
inadequate. 

Bout  Biscuits. — Boil  a  pound  of  sugar  in 
half  a  pint  of  milk ;  grate  into  it  the  rind  of 
a  lemon  w^hen  cold ;  rub  half  a  pound  of  but- 
ter into  a  pound  and  a  half  of  flour  and  a 
pound  of  almond  paste  grated  fine ;  put  as 
much  carbonate  of  soda  as  would  lie  on  a 
silver  dime  into  the  milk,  and  mix  with  the 
flour  and  almond  paste ;  beat  two  eggs,  and 
make  the  whole  into  a  firm,  smooth  paste ; 


MISCELLANEOUS    SWEETS.  287 

print  this  paste  with  very  small  butter  moulds 
if  you  have  them,  making  little  cakes  just 
like  the  tiny  pats  of  butter  one  gets  at  city 
restaurants.  Bake  on  a  well-buttered  pan  in 
a  quick  oven  a  very  pale  yellow. 

Macaroons. — These  must  be  exempted  from 
the  charge  of  being  tedious,  they  are  so  easily 
and  quickly  made.  One  pound  of  almond 
paste  grated,  one  pound  and  a  half  of  sugar, 
and  the  whites  of  seven  eggs.  Some  confec- 
tioners use  a  teaspoonful  of  flour,  with  the 
idea  that  the  macaroons  are  not  so  apt  to 
fall.  I  recommend  a  trial  of  both  methods ; 
they  will  both  be  good.  Stir  the  sugar  and 
the  beaten  white  of  eggs  together  just  enough 
to  mix,  then  by  degrees  add  the  grated  paste, 
mashing  with  the  back  of  a  fork  till  it  forms 
a  perfectly  smooth  paste.  Oil  several  sheets 
of  paper  cut  to  the  size  of  your  baking-pans. 
Dripping-pans  may  be  used  if  you  have  no 
regular  baking-sheets.  Lay  a  sheet  of  paper 
at  the  bottom  of  the  pan.  Put  half  a  tea- 
spoonful  of  the  macaroon  paste  on  a  scrap  of 


288  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

buttered  paper  in  the  oven.  If  it  spreads 
too  much  it  requires  a  very  little  more  sugar ; 
if  it  does  not  spread  at  all,  or  so  little  as  to 
leave  the  surface  rough,  it  is  too  stiff,  and 
requires  perhaps  half  the  white  of  an  ^gg^  or 
the  finger  dipped  in  water  and  laid  on  each 
macaroon  after  they  are  on  the  paper  is  often 
sufficient — a  little  practice  is  all  that  is  nec- 
essary. Lay  the  paste  in  half-teaspoonfuls 
on  the  oiled  or  greased  paper.  If  the  trial 
one  indicated  that  they  were  slightly  too 
stiff,  lay  a  wet  finger  on  each,  sift  powdered 
sugar  over,  and  then  put  a  pinch  of  chopped 
and  blanched  almonds  in  the  centre  with  just 
enough  pressure  to  keep  them  in  place.  As 
the  macaroon  spreads  in  the  oven  the  al- 
monds scatter  themselves. 

Macaroons  should  be  baked  about  twenty 
minutes  in  a  moderate  oven.  They  must  be 
taken  out  while  they  are  a  very  pale  brown, 
but  they  must  also  be  quite  "  set,"  or  they 
will  fall.  If  the  oven  is  too  quick  they  AviU 
brown  too  soon ;  in  that  case  leave  the  oven 


MISCELLANEOUS   SWEETS.  289 

door  open,  taking  care  that  no  cold  draught 
can  blow  on  the  macaroons.  You  can  tell 
if  .they  have  browned  too  quickly  by  the 
cracks  in  them  being  still  white  and  sticky. 
When  done  both  the  cracks  and  surface 
should  be  the  same  pale  color.  The  maca- 
roons must  be  left  five  minutes  in  the  pan 
after  leaving  the  oven  without  being  touched. 
At  the  end  of  that  time  they  may  be  gently 
taken  off  the  pans  on  the  papers,  from  which 
they  must  not  be  detached  until  they  are 
quite  cold.  Should  they  stick  to  the  paper, 
moisten  the  back  of  it. 

Fine  Ginger  Dessert  Cakes. — Rub  half  a 
pound  of  fresh  butter  into  three  quarters  of 
a  pound  of  flour ;  beat  three  eggs  with  three 
quarters  of  a  pound  of  powdered  sugar  and 
half  a  glass  of  rose  water,  the  grated  peel  of 
a  lemon,  and  a  teaspoonful  of  the  best  pow- 
dered ginger — use  the  ginger  carefully,  try- 
ing* a  level  spoonful  first.  Then  mix  all  into 
a  paste.  If  the  flavor  of  ginger  is  not  strong 
enough,  add  more ;  they  should  taste  w^ell  of 
19 


290  CHOICE   COOKEEr. 

it,  without  being  hot  in  the  mouth.  Koll 
the  paste  a  quarter  of  an  inch  thick,  and  cut 
into  small  oval  or  round  cakes,  sift  powdered 
sugar  over  them,  and  bake  rather  slo^vlj  a 
very  pale  brown. 


XXXII. 

FINE    CAKES  AND  SAUCES. 

Madeleines. — Four  ounces  of  butter,  four 
ounces  of  the  best  flour,  three  ounces  of 
sugar,  a  teaspoonf ul  of  orange-flower  water, 
the  yolks  of  four  eggs,  and  rind  of  a  lemon. 
Beat  butter,  sugar,  and  yolks  of  eggs  to- 
gether, then  add  the  other  ingredients  ;  grate 
in  the  rind  of  half  a  lemon,  and  add  the  well- 
beaten  whites  of  eggs  last  of  all.  Fill  little 
moulds  that  have  been  buttered  with  washed 
butter,  cover  the  tops  with  split  almonds  and 
sifted  sugar ;  bake  from  thirty  to  forty  min- 
utes in  a  moderate  oven.  These  cakes  are 
sometimes  served  hot  with  apricot  sauce. 

Chestnut  Croquettes. — Boil  fifty  sound  chest- 
nuts ;  take  them  out  of  the  shells ;  reject  all 
imperfect  ones ;  keep  the  large  pieces  aside ; 
pound  the  crumbs  and  most  broken  pieces 


292  CHOICE   COOKERY. 

Avith  an  ounce  of  butter  till  very  smooth ; 
then  mix  in  a  small  cup  of  cream  two  ounces 
of  butter  and  one  ounce  of  powdered  sugar ; 
put  the  whole  into  a  double  boiler,  and  stir 
in  the  beaten  volks  of  six  eo^o^s.  Let  the 
mixture  set.  When  cool,  make  it  into  balls ; 
in  the  centre  of  each  ball  put  a  piece  of  the 
chestnut  you  have  laid  aside,  dip  the  balls  in 
fine  cracker  meal  and  eggs,  and  fry  a  very 
pale  yellow.     Serve  with  sifted  sugar. 

Yery  pretty  cakes,  very  easily  made,  wdiich 
come  under  the  French  t^rm. petits  fours^vci3ij 
be  given  here. 

Petits  Fours. — Make  rich  cake  mixture 
thus :  Wash  three  quarters  of  a  pound  of 
butter  to  free  it  from  excess  of  salt ;  squeeze 
it  dry  in  a  cloth ;  beat  it  with  the  hand  till 
creamy ;  add  three  quarters  of  a  pound  of 
powdered  sugar ;  beat  till  light ;  then  beat 
in  ten  eggs,  one  by  one,  and  sift  in  a  pound 
of  dried  and  sifted  flour.  When  all  are  w^ell 
beaten  together,  the  paste  or  batter  is  ready 
for  use.    Line  some  shallow  pans  (those  used 


FINE   CAKES   AND   SAUCES.  293 

for  making  rolled  jelly-cake  are  best)  with 
buttered  paper ;  spread  a  layer  of  the  mixt- 
ure just  as  you  would  for  jelly-cake,  but  much 
thicker,  as  when  baked  the  sheets  should  not 
be  more  than  the  third  of  an  inch  thick. 
Bake  slowly.  When  done,  remove  from  the 
oven,  but  leave  the  cake  undisturbed  till  cold. 
If  the  sheets  are  large,  they  may  be  cut  ex- 
actly in  half,  spread  thinly  with  some  stiff 
marmalade  or  jelly ;  quince  or  apricot  is  best, 
but  any  rich  flavor  with  some  tartness  will 
do;  lay  one  half  on  the  other,  and  press 
closely  and  very  neatly  together.  Do  each 
sheet  of  cake  in  the  same  way,  varying  the 
marmalade  if  you  choose.  Have  ready  a 
bowl  of  icing  (either  boiled  French  icing  or 
what  is  called  royal  icing).  Dust  the  top  of 
the  cakes  with  flour,  which  must  be  brushed 
off  again,  as  it  is  only  to  absorb  the  grease. 
Flavor  the  icing  with  vanilla,  and  lay  it  on 
the  centre  of  the  cake  ;  let  it  run  over  it,  aid- 
ing with  a  knife  dipped  in  water  (shaking 
off  the  drops,  however).     The  icing  needs  to 


294  CHOICE    COOKERY. 

be  very  neatly  done,  and  must  not  be  thicker 
than  a  twenty-iive-cent  piece.  Kow  color 
the  icing  in  the  bowl  pink,  with  a  little  cochi- 
neal, add  a  drop  or  two  of  extract  of  bitter 
almond  or  of  lemon,  either  of  w^hich  will 
agree  with  the  vanilla  that  was  in  the  white 
icing ;  then  ice  another  sheet  of  cake  in  the 
same  way ;  a  third  may  be  done  with  choco- 
late icing. 

The  beauty  of  these  cakes  will  depend  on 
the  way  they  are  cut.  You  may  choose  to 
make  them  tablets  an  inch  wide  and  three 
inches  long,  or  in  lozenge  shape — the  true 
diamond — but  in  either  case  the  cutting  must 
be  exact.  The  best  way  to  have  it  so  is  to 
mark  the  lines  very  lightly  with  the  point 
of  a  penknife  on  the  icing,  using  a  measure. 
Trim  off  the  edge  of  the  cake  with  a  sharp 
knife,  so  that  it  is  neat  all  round,  no  excess 
of  marmalade  oozing  out,  or  tears  of  icing 
running  down.  Then  w^arm  a  sharp  carving- 
knife  (I  am  supposing  the  cake  is  on  a  board), 
and  cut  through  the  lines  you  have  marked, 


FINE   CAKES   AND   SAUCES.  295 

without  hesitation,  so  that  there  may  be  no 
crumbs  or  roughness,  which  slow,  over-care- 
ful cutting  causes.  When  cut  up  you  should 
have,  if  neatly  done,  an  assortment  of  very 
delicious  and  ornamental  cakes. 

FREXCH  SWEET  SAUCES   FOR  PUDDINGS,  ETC. 

Sauce  Madere  d  la  Marmalade. — A  half- 
pound  of  apricot  marmalade ;  half  a  tumbler 
of  Madeira  or  sherry ;  boil  three  minutes, 
then  pass  through  a  sieve,  and  serve  as  sauce 
to  soi^fflees,  cabinet  puddings,  etc. 

Sauce  des  (Eufs  ait  Kirsch. — Beat  the  yolks 
of  eight  eggs,  put  them  in  a  saucepan  with 
half  a  tumbler  of  kirsch,  five  ounces  of  pow- 
dered sugar,  and  half  the  rind  of  a  lemon 
grated.  Stir  all  in  a  double  boiler  till  the 
mixture  sticks  to  the  spoon ;  then  remove 
from  the  boiling  water ;  stir  for  a  minute  to 
prevent  curdling ;  then  it  is  ready  to  serve. 

Chaudeau  Sauce. — Take  two  whole  eggs, 
six  yolks  of  eggs,  and  eight  lumps  of  sugar 
(each  one  rubbed  on  lemon-peel),  two  pints 


296  CHOICE    COOKEEY. 

of  Chablis,  and  the  juice  of  half  a  lemon; 
beat  them  over  a  slow  fire  in  a  double  boiler 
till  a  light  froth  is  formed ;  be  very  careful 
the  eggs  do  not  curdle  when  the  boiling- 
point  is  reached ;  take  the  sauce  off  the 
fire,  and  continue  beating  for  a  minute  or 
two.  If  small  streaks  appear  on  the  froth 
the  sauce  is  done.  Stir  in  a  tablespoon- 
f ul  of  fine  rum,  and  the  sauce  is  ready  to 
serve. 

Sherry  Sauce  for  Puddings. — Six  yolks  of 
eggs,  one  ounce  of  sugar,  half  a  pint  of  sher- 
ry, and  the  thin  peel  of  a  lemon.  Beat  the 
eggs  with  the  sugar ;  when  the  wine  is  warm, 
stir  them  into  it  (let  the  lemon-peel  steep  in 
the*  wine  while  warming) ;  stir  all  together 
till  as  thick  as  cream  ;  then  remove  from  the 
fire,  and  take  out  the  peel.  In  making  all 
these  sauces  with  eggs  the  same  precaution 
is  required  as  in  making  custard. 

Wine  Sauce,  Iso.  2. — Three  gills  of  water, 
one  cup  of  sugar,  one  teaspoonful  of  corn- 
starch, and  one  gill  of  wine.     Mix  the  corn- 


FINE   CAKES   AND   SAUCES.  297 

starch  with  a  little  water ;  pour  the  rest  boil- 
ing to  it,  stirring  till  smooth  ;  then  add  the 
sugar,  and  boil  for  five  minutes ;  then  add 
the  wine  and  a  few  drops  of  essence  of  lemon 
and  the  same  of  cinnamon.  Use  these  flavor- 
ings drop  by  drop,  as  they  differ  in  strength 
too  much  for  an  exact  quantity  to  be  given, 
and  the  taste  must  be  the  guide.  Eum  or 
brandy  may  be  used  instead  of  wine ;  then 
the  cinnamon  is  omitted. 

Apricot  Sauces. — Half  a  small  jar  of  apri- 
cot jam  or  marmalade ;  dissolve  it  in  three 
quarters  of  a  gill  of  water  with  the  juice  of 
a  lemon ;  stir  in  three  quarters  of  a  gill  of 
rum.  This  sauce  is  simply  made  hot,  not 
boiled,  and  may  be  served  cold  with  Baba  or 
Savarin  cake.  Greengage  marmalade  may 
be  substituted. 

Whipped  Sweet  Sauce.- — Put  the  yolks  of 
four  eggs  into  a  double  saucepan  with  two 
ounces  of  sugar,  one  glass  of  sherry,  the  juice 
of  one  lemon,  and  a  speck  of  salt ;  beat  all 
together ;  then  set  the  saucepan  over  the 


298  CHOICE    COOKERY. 

fire,  and  whisk  the  sauce  till  it  is  a  creamy 
froth,  when  it  is  ready  to  serve. 

Ve7'y  Fine  Sweet  Butter  Sauce. — Wash  four 
ounces  of  butter ;  squeeze  it  dry ;  beat  it  to 
a  hard  sauce  with  half  a  pound  of  powdered 
sugar ;  then  put  the  yolks  of  two  eggs  in  a 
cold  bowl ;  stir  it  a  minute,  then  add  to  it  a 
little  of  the  hard  sauce ;  when  well  mixed 
add  more,  about  a  teaspoonful  at  a  time ; 
when  the  hard  sauce  is  blended  with  the 
yolks  of  eggs,  stir  in  by  degrees  a  wineglass 
of  brandy  or  rum.     Keep  on  ice  till  wanted. 

Vanilla  Cream  Sauce. — Put  half  a  pint  of 
fresh  cream  to  boil,  reserving  a  tablespoon- 
f ul ;  mix  this  with  a  teaspoonful  of  flour ; 
stir  it  into  the  cream,  with  a  tablespoonful 
of  sugar,  when  near  boiling ;  when  it  boils, 
stir  for  five  minutes  or  ten  in  a  double  boiler ; 
then  pour  out  the  sauce,  and  stir  in  a  small 
teaspoonful  of  vanilla  and  a  few  drops  of  ex- 
tract of  rose  or  a  teaspoonful  of  rose-water. 
Observe  that  the  rose  is  used  to  give  a  dif- 
ferent tone  to  the  vanilla,  and  not  to  impart 


FINE    CAKES    AND    SAUCES.  299 

its  own  flavor,  therefore  very  little  nrast  be 
used. 

Almond  Sauce.  —  Dissolve  four  ounces  of 
almond  paste  in  half  a  pint  of  sweet  cream 
by  stirring  in  a  double  boiler  (the  almond 
paste  should  be  grated  first) ;  when  both  are 
hot,  add  a  tablespoonful  of  sugar  and  the 
yolk  of  an  ^g^ ;  stir  till  the  ^gg  thickens, 
then  remove  from  the  fire  and  serve. 


XXXIII. 

SALADS  AND   CHEESE  DISHES. 

Salad  has  come  to  form  part  of  even  the 
simplest  dinners;  and  certainly  cold  meat 
and  salad  and  excellent  bread  and  butter 
make  a  meal  by  no  means  to  be  despised 
even  by  an  epicure,  while  cold  meat  and 
bread  and  butter  sound  very  untempting. 
The  best  dinner  salad  will  perhaps  always 
be  white,  crisp  lettuce,  with  a  simple  French 
dressing,  although,  to  those  acquainted  Avith 
it,  escarole  runs  it  hard,  with  its  cool,  watery 
ribs  and  crisp  leaves.  Elaborate  salads,  or 
those  dressed  with  mayonnaise,  are  too  heavy 
to  form  the  latter  part  of  an  already  suffi- 
ciently'nourishing  meal,  but  for  luncheons 
and  suppers  the  rich  salad  is  invaluable. 

Salad  which  is  to  be  eaten  with  game  or 
to  form  a  course  at  dinner  may  be  a  crisp 


SALADS    AND    CHEESE  DISHES.  301 

white  cabbage  lettuce,  water-cress,  Roraaine 
lettuce,  or  that  most  delicious  form  of  endive, 
escarole. 

The  dressing  should  be  the  simple  French 
dressing,  about  which  so  much  has  been  writ- 
ten and  said,  and  which  is  so  easy  that  per- 
haps it  is  one  reason  why  so  few  make  it 
well.  There  is  nothing  to  remember  beyond 
the  proportions,  and  so  many  keep  the  quan- 
tity of  oil,  vinegar,  and  pepper  and  salt  in 
mind,  but  the  manner  of  using  them  seems 
of  no  consequence  ;  but  it  is  of  so  much  con- 
sequence, if  you  do  not  want  the  vinegar  on 
the  leaves  and  the  oil  at  the  bottom  of  the 
salad  bowl,  that,  well  known  as  the  formula 
is,  I  am  going  over  it  again  with  a  few 
details  that  may  help  to  hx  the  matter  in 
mind. 

In  the  first  place  it  must  be  remembered 
that  a  wet  leaf  will  repel  oil,  therefore  the 
lettuce  or  other  salad  must  be  well  dried  be- 
fore it  is  sent  to  table.  This  is  best  done 
by  swinging  it  in  a  salad  basket,  and  then 


302  CHOICE    COOKERY. 

spreading  it  between  two  cloths  for  a  few 
minutes.  Now  it  must  be  quite  evident,  if  a 
leaf  wet  with  water  will  refuse  to  retain  oil, 
that  one  wet  with  vinegar  will  do  the  same ; 
for  this  reason  the  leaves  should  be  covered 
with  oil  hefore  the  vinegar  is  added,  or  the 
salad  will  be  crude  and  very  unlike  what  it 
should  be  if  properl}^  mixed  in  the  following 
way : 

Take  lettuce  as  the  example,  although  any 
of  those  mentioned  are  made  in  the  same 
way.  Have  the  lettuce  dry  in  the  salad 
bowl,  put  in  the  salad-spoon  a  saltspoonful 
of  salt,  a  quarter  one  of  pepper,  and,  hold- 
ing it  over  the  bowl,  fill  the  spoon  with  oil ; 
mix  the  salt  and  pepper  well  with  it,  and 
turn  it  over  the  salad ;  toss  the  salad  lightly 
over  and  over  till  the  leaves  glisten,  then  add 
two  (if  for  epicures,  three  or  four)  more 
spoonfuls  of  oil,  then  toss  again  over  and 
over  till  every  leaf  is  well  coated  with  oil ; 
then  sprinkle  in  a  saladspoonful  of  sharp 
vinegar.    Toss  again,  and  the  salad  is  ready. 


SALADS    AND   CHEESE    DISHES.  oUd 

One  salad  less  well  known  than  it  deserves 
to  be  is  that  made  from  the  grape  fruit. 
This  is  an  especially  grateful  dish  for  spring 
breakfast,  wdien  cool,  refreshing  things  are 
in  order.  Many  tell  me  they  have  tried  to 
eat  grape  fruit,  but  find  it  quite  impossible 
on  account  of  the  intense  bitter. 

There  is  a  very  slight  and  pleasant  bitter 
with  grape  fruit  when  properly  prepared, 
but  if  by  carelessness  or  ignorance  even  a 
small  portion  of  the  pith  is  left  in  it  intense 
bitter  is  imparted  to  the  whole. 

Grape-fruit  Salad,  —  Prepare  the  fruit, 
some  hours  before  it  is  wanted,  in  the  fol- 
lowing way:  Cut  the  fruit  in  four  as  you 
would  an  orange;  separate  the  sections; 
then  remove  the  pulp  from  each,  taking  care 
that  no  white  pith  or  skin  adheres  to  it. 
Put  the  pulp  on  the  ice  until  just  before 
serving ;  then  dress  with  oil  and  vinegar  ex- 
actly as  directed  for  lettuce,  etc. 

Meat  or  fish  salads  should  always  be  dressed 
with  mayonnaise.     I  say  nothing  of  the  Avell- 


304 


CHOICE   COOKERY. 


known  lobster  and  chicken  salads,  which  are 
so  general  that  one  is  tempted  to  think  the 
majority  of  people  do  not  know  how  ex- 
cellent some  other  combination  salads  are. 
Salmon  salad — the  fish  flaked,  laid  on  a  bed 
of  crisp  lettuce  with  a  border  of  the  leaves, 
and  masked  with  mayonnaise,  with  a  gar- 
nish of  aspic — is  both  handsome  and  deli- 
cious; but  cold  halibut,  or  even  cod — any 
firm  fish  that  flakes,  in  fact — make  delight- 
ful salads,  and  acceptable  to  many  who  can- 
not eat  lobster.  In  the  way  of  meat  salads, 
partridge  or  grouse  are  far  daintier  than 
chicken,  prepared  in  just  the  same  way. 
There  is  one  point,  however,  which  should 
be  observed  in  making  all  meat  salads :  it  is 
that  the  material  should  be  well  dressed  with 
oil,  vinegar,  and  condiments  before  the  may- 
onnaise is  put  on.  Usually  one  of  two  courses 
is  followed :  either  the  meat  is  left  dry,  the 
mayonnaise  being  supposed  sufiicient,  or  it  is 
dressed  with  mayonnaise  and  then  masked 
with  it.     In  the  latter  case  the  salad  is  far 


SALADS   AND   CHEESE   DISHES. 


305 


too  rich;  in  the  former  it  is  flat,  because 
mayonnaise,  if  rightl}^  made,  has  not  acidity 
enough  to  flavor  the  meat ;  therefore  it  and 
the  celery  or  other  salad  mixed  with  it  should 
be  bathed  with  French  dressing  before  it  is 
masked. 

With  these  general  rules  any  salad  may  be 
made ;  but  as  variety  is  the  spice  of  the  ta- 
ble, it  may  be  borne  in  mind  that  in  spring 
a  sprig  of  mint,  very  finely  chopped,  gives  a 
fragrance  to  lettuce,  as  does  chervil  or  borage, 
parsley,  or  a  tiny  bit  of  onion.  To  a  game 
salad  nothing  should  be  added. 

JS^o  recipe  is  needed  for  mayonnaise,  it  hav- 
ing been  given  in  the  chapter  on  cold  sauces. 

In  the  course  of  these  chapters  several 
cheese  dishes  have  been  given,  but  there  are 
a  few  others  especially  appropriate  to  the 
cheese  and  salad  course,  where  it  constitutes 
part  of  the  dinner,  which  I  will  include. 
Cheese  dishes  are  far  less  popular  in  this 
country  than  in  Europe,  but  there  are  fami- 
lies whose  masculine  members  eat  no  sweets, 
20  ■ 


306 


CHOICE   COOKEEY. 


and  for  whom  a  dainty  cheese  dish  would  be 
very  acceptable. 

Genoa  Ramaquin. — Cut  a  slice  of  Vienna 
or  other  baker's  bread,  half  an  inch  thick, 
lengthwise  of  the  loaf,  so  that  it  covers  the 
bottom  of  a  fire-proof  dish — a  souffle  pan 
well  buttered  is  excellent;  beat  two  eggs 
and  half  a  pint  of  milk  together ;  add  a  level 
saltspoonful  of  salt;  pour  this  custard  over 
the  bread,  and  leave  it  an  hour  to  soak. 
Pour  off  any  custard  that  may  not  be  ab- 
sorbed; dust  the  bread  with  pepper;  then 
cover  with  the  following  mixture :  dissolve 
as  much  rich  cheese  shaved  in  half  a  gill  of 
cream  as  will  cover  the  bread  an  inch  thick, 
stirring  it  over  a  slow  fire.  Season  with  pep- 
per and  salt,  and  pour  the  cheese  over  the 
bread.  Put  it  in  the  oven,  and  bake  for  half 
an  hour,  or  till  quite  brown. 

Cheese  Puffs. — Line  patty-pans  Avith  puff- 
paste,  and  fill  three  parts  full  with  the  fol- 
lowing mixture :  put  a  gill  of  cream  in  a 
double  boiler  w^ith  two  ounces  of  grated 


SALADS    AND    CHEESE   DISHES.  ^07 

cheese  (half  Parmesan  if  liked),  a  saltspoon- 
ful  of  salt,  a  pinch  of  pepper,  a  pinch  of 
sugar,  and  a  large  teaspoonful  of  butter; 
when  all  is  melted  to  a  thick  custard,  break 
into  it  two  eggs  well  whipped.  The  mixt- 
ure is  only  to  be  made  hot  enough  to  melt 
the  cheese,  not  to  boil. 

Cheese  Sticks. — Take  a  piece  of  light  bread 
dough  about  the  size  of  a  teacup,  roll  it  out 
on  a  pastry -board,  spread  it  with  bits  of  firm 
butter,  dredge  with  flour,  fold  and  roll,  re- 
peat until  you  have  rolled  in  two  ounces  of 
butter,  just  as  for  puff-paste ;  now  roll  the 
pastry  out  the  third  of  an  inch  thick,  cut 
into  strips  half  an  inch  wide  and  any  length 
you  think  proper,  lay  them  very  straight  on 
a  baking-sheet,  and  bake  slowly  a  ve7'y  light 
brown ;  remove  from  the  oven,  let  them  cool, 
then  brush  them  over  with  white  of  Qg^^  and 
roll  them  thickly  in  grated  Parmesan ;  return 
for  a  minute  or  two  to  the  oven.  These  are 
very  good  with  salad,  but  cannot  easily  be 
made  in  warm  weather.     Should  the  pastry 


308  CHOICE    COOKERY. 

get  too  soft  while  rolling,  put  it  on  ice,  and 
it  is  better  to  do  so  at  all  times  before  cut- 
ting into  strips,  so  that  the  "  sticks  "  may  be 
quite  straight. 


INDEX. 


Allemande  Sauce,  18. 

Almond  Cream,  229,  251:  Sauce, 

299;    Trirtes,   279;    Turban, 

285 ;  Water-ice,  255. 
Apple  Jellv,  212 ;  Compote,  2G3- 

265. 
Apricot  Sauces,  297;  Water-ices, 

25G. 
Artichokes,  Fried,  198. 
Aspic,  Jelh'',  195;   Lobster  in, 

79  ;  INIayonnaise,  47  ;  Oysters 

in,  76;  Eeed-birds  in,  159. 

Ballotines,  177. 
Bearnaise  Sauce,  26. 
Bechamel  Sauce,  17,  159. 
Beef,  Fillets  of,  86-89. 
I>eet-root  Fritters,  198. 
Birds,  how  to  bone,   172-175; 

how  to  stuff,  175. 
Biscuits,  Rout,  286. 
Bouchees,  124. 
Bouquet  of  herbs,  37. 

Cabinet  Pudding,  233,  239. 
Cakes,  Dessert,  285,  289. 
Cakes  and  Sauces,  fine,  291-295. 

Chestnut  Croquettes,  291. 

Madeleines,  291. 

Petits  Fours,  292. 


Caudied    Orange    and    Lemon 

Peels,  260,  261. 
Caper  Sauce,  29. 
Cardinal  Sauce,  30. 
Cauliflower  Fritters,  198. 
Celery  Sauce,  29. 
Charlotte  Russe,  281-283. 
Chateaubriand  Sauce.  34. 
Chaudfroid  Sauce,  160. 
Chaudfroids.     (See  Entrees.) 
Cheese  Dishes,  306-308. 

Genoa  Ramaquin,  306. 

Puffs,  306. 

Sticks,  307. 
Chestnut  Soup,  57;  Croquettes, 

291. 
Chicken,  a,  la  Hollandaise,  114. 

And  Ham  Cutlets,  157. 

Chaudfroids  of,  156. 

Fritotof,  132. 

Patties,  121. 

Salad,  154. 

Scallops,  130. 

Tartlets,  114. 

Timbaleof,  129. 

Turtle  fashion,  136. 
Chocolate  Cream  Pudding,  245. 
Choice  Cookery  explained,  1-3. 
Chops,  Lamb  and  Mutton,  98- 
103. 


310 


INDEX. 


Cigarettes,  108,  135,  136. 
Cinnamon,    care    in'  selecting, 

216:  Water-ice,  255. 
Claret  Granito,  258;  Jellv,  215. 
Co(i,  Fillets  of,  62. 
Cold  Game  Pies,  183-190. 
Compote  of  Apples,  263-265  ;  of 
Cherries,  272;  of  Chestnuts, 
269,  270;   of  Oranges,   269; 
of  Pears,  266,  268;   of  Pig- 
eons,   145;    of   Strawberries, 
272. 
Consomme',  51-55. 
Coqtiilles,  63,  64. 
Creams,  223-230,  235-237. 
Almond  Cream,  229. 
Bohemian     Jellv     Creams, 

237. 
Cocoannt  Cream,  235. 
Coffee  Cream,  226. 
Cura^oa  Cream,  226. 
Ginger  Cream,  224. 
Hazel-nut  Cream,  236. 
Here  and  in  Europe,  223. 
Neapolitan  Cream,  224. 
Nut  Creams,  235. 
Pistache  Cream,  229. 
Strawberry  Cream.  227. 
Vanilla  Cream,  227. 
Walnut     or     Hickory -nut 

Cream,  237. 
Whipped  Cream,  213,  214. 
Croquettes, Chestnut, 291 :  man- 
ner of  preparing,  107. 
Cucumber,  Fillets  of,  99  ;  Fillets 
of  Kabbit  with,  150;  Sauce, 
29,48;  Stuffed,  199. 
Culinary  matters,  79-85. 
Cura^oa,  258. 
Currant  Water-ice,  256. 
Currants,  how  to  cook,  271. 


Cutlets,  how  to  prepare,  107. 
Chicken  and  Ham,  157. 
Lamb,  99,  100. 
Mutton,  90,  98. 
Pigeon,  143. 
Kussian  Salad  for,  101. 
Sweetbread,  109. 
Veal,  139. 

Decorations,  uneatable,  196. 
Dessert,  Small  Cakes  for,  285. 
Down  ton  Sauce.  39. 
Dresden  Patty  Cases,  118. 

Entrees,  86-106,  129-152,  153- 
171. 

A  Civet,  150. 

Baked  Kavioli,  137. 

Cold  Lamb  Cutlets  in  Mint 
Jelly,  100. 

Chicken  Souffle,  131. 

Chicken,  Turtle  fashion,  136. 

Cigarettes  a  la  Chasseur,135. 

Cigarettes  a  la  Eeine,  134. 

Cutlets  Chaudfroid  a  la 
Russe,  102. 

Filets  de  Boeuf  h  la  Ecar- 
naise,  87. 

Filets  de  Boeuf  aux  Cham- 
pignons, 87. 

Fillet  of  Beef,  86. 

Fillets  of  Beef  a  la  Grande- 
Bretagne,  89. 

Fillets  of  Cucumber,  99. 
.      Fillets  of  Rabbit  with  Cu- 
cumber, 150. 

Fillets  of  Teal  with  Ancho- 
vies, 148. 

Fritot  of  Chicken,  132. 

Grenadines  of  Beef  with 
Mushrooms  and  Poivrade 
Sauce,  88. 


INDEX. 


311 


Entrees — Continued. 

Grenadines  of  Kabbit  a  la 

Soubise,  149. 
Lannb  Cutlets  en  Coucombre. 

99. 
Lamb  Cutlets  with  a  Puree 

of  Mushrooms,  100. 
Lobster  Quenelles,  136. 
Mutton  Cutlets  a  la  d'Uxel- 

les,  90. 
Mutton  Cutlets  a  la  Mila- 
■     naise,  90. 
Mutton   Cutlets,  or  Chops, 

98. 
Pigeon  Cutlets,  143, 
Pigeons  a  la  Tart  are,  144. 
Quails  a  la  Jubilee,  141, 
Quails  a  la  LucuUus,  140. 
Salmis  of  Snipe,  147. 
Scallops   of   Chicken   a    la 

Perigord,  130. 
Souffle  of  Partridges,  14G. 
Sweetbreads  a  la  Supreme, 

103. 
Sweetbreads  in  Cases,  106. 
Sweetbreads  with  Ovster.-!, 

104. 
Timbale    of   Chicken   a   la 

Champenois,  129. 
Timbales  d'^^pinard,  151. 
Veal  Cutlets  a  la  Primrose, 

139. 
Entrees,  Cold,  or  Chaudfroids, 

153-171. 
AUumettes,  170. 
Canapes    a    la     Bismarck, 

165. 
Caviare  Canapes,  166. 
Chaudfroid    of   Reed-birds, 

160. 
Chaudfroids  of  Chicken,  156, 


Entrees,  Cold — Continued. 

Cheese    Biscuits    k    la    St. 

James,  168, 
Chicken  and  Ham  Cutlets, 

157. 
Chicken  Salad  a  la  Prince, 

154. 
Cold  Cheese  Souffles,  169. 
Croiltes  de  Fromage  Glace, 

169. 
Eggs  a  la  St.  James,  170. 
Iced  Savory  Souffle,  162. 
Kluskis  of  Cream   Cheese, 

168. 
Ovsters    a    la   St.   George, 

^169. 
Prawns  en  Surprise,  166. 
Prince    of  Wales   Canapes, 

167. 
Reed-birds  in  Aspic,  159, 
Savage  Club  Canapes,  164. 
Savories,  162-164, 
Shrimp  Canapes,  168, 
Sweetbread  au  Montpellier, 

153, 
Entrees,  Fish,  61-70. 

Coquilles  of  Prawns,  63. 
Coquilles  of  Salmon  or  Hali- 
but, 64. 
Fillet  of  Flounders,  69, 
Fillet   of   Sole    a    la   Nor- 

raande,  65. 
Fillets    of   Cod   a   la  Nor- 

mande,  62, 
Lobster  in  Aspic,  79. 
Lobster  Soufflees,  62. 
Salmon  en  Papillotes,  65. 
Sole  a  I'Horly,  66. 
Turbans  of  Sole  a  la  Rouen- 

naise,  67, 
Espagnole  Sauce,  33, 


312 


INDEX. 


Fillet,  how  to,  181, 182. 
Fillets  of  Rabbits,  150. 
Flavorings  and  Liqueurs,  210- 

212. 
Flounders,  Fillet  of,  69. 
Fritters,  198. 

Fruits,  Macedoine  of,  222. 
Frying,  directions  for,  91-95. 

Galantines,  172-177. 

Of  Breast  of  Veal,  178. 

Of  Sucking  Pig,  179. 
Game  Pie,  183. 

English  manner  of  making, 
in  a  crust,  189, 190. 

Filling  the  case  of,  186. 

French  method  of  making, 
185. 
Game,  Salad  to  eat  with,  300. 
Garnishes,  191-198. 

Colored  Custard,  192. 

Profiterolles,  194. 

Spinach  Juice,  192. 

Stuffed  Artichokes.  197. 
Gelatine,  196;  right  jiroportion 

for  jelly,  217. 
Ginger    Cream,    224:    Dessert 

Cakes,  289  ;  Water-ice,  253. 
Glaze,  8 ;  how  to  preserve,  10. 
Graniti,  257,  258. 

Claret  Granito,  258. 

Sherry  Granito,  258. 

To  freeze,  257. 
Grape-fruit  Salad,  303. 
Grenadines  of  Rabbit,  149. 

Ham,  Puree  of,  152. 

Herbs,    French,    12;    how    to 

chop,    81  ;    what     required, 

12. 
Horseradish  Sauce.  48. 


Ice-creams  and  Ices,  246-256. 

Almond  Water-ice.  255. 

Apricot  Water-ice,  256. 

Chinese  Ice,  252. 

Cinnamon  Water-ice,  255= 

Currant  Water-ice,  256. 

Custard  for  Ice-cream,  249. 

Fruit  Jam  and  Jellies  with 
Ice-cream,  250. 

Ginger  Water-ice,  253. 

Grilled  Almond  Ice-cream, 
251. 

Ice-cream  with  Eggs,  249. 

Pineapple  Water-ice,  254. 

Pistachio  Water-ice,  255. 

Simplest  Fruit  Ice-cream, 
246. 

Tea  Ice-cream,  252. 

Tutti-frutti  Ice-cream,  248. 
Ice  Pudding,  240,  241. 
Iced  Custard  with  Fruit,  244. 
Iced  Puddings,  238,  239,  241, 
243. 

Jellies,  208-225. 

Aspic  Jelly,  195. 

Consistency  of  Jelly,  214. 

Jellied  Raspberries,  221. 

Jellv  with  Candied  Fruits, 
220. 

Jellv  with  Fresh  Fruits, 
218. 

Mint  Jellv,  49. 

Mould  of  Apple  Jellv,  212. 

Plain  Claret  Jelly,  215. 

Right  proportions  of  Gela- 
tine for  Jelly,  217. 

Roman  Punch  Jellies,  222. 

Kabobs,  Oyster,  72-74. 
Kromeskies,  107. 


INDEX. 


313 


Lamb  Cutlets,  99,  100. 

Lemon  Baskets,  274;  Peels, 
Candied,  261. 

Lemons,  how  to  grate,  82. 

Liqueurs  and  Flavorings,  210- 
212. 

Lobster,  in  Aspic,  79 ;  Que- 
nelles, 136;  Sauce,  29;  Souf- 
flces,  62. 

Macaroons,  287. 
Macedoine  of  Fruits,  222. 
Madeleines,  291. 
Maraschino,  259. 
Matelote  Sauce,  40. 
Mayonnaise,  43,  46,  47. 
IMeal,  quantity  to  be  used,  75, 
Meringue  Paste,  251. 
Mint  Jelly,  49. 
IMother  Sauces,  0. 
Mushroom  Baskets,  201, 
Mushroom  Jelly,  200. 
Mushrooms  and  Tomatoes,  200. 
INIushrooms,  Stuffed,  200. 
Mutton  Cutlets,  90,  98. 

Neapolitan  Cream,  224, 
Norwegian  Sauce,  47. 
Nut  Creams,  229,  235-237. 

Onion,  Spanish,  202-204. 
Orange  Baskets,  272,  274. 
Orange  Compote,  269. 
Orange  Sauce,  39. 
Oyster  Kabobs,  72, 74 ;  Sauce,  29. 
Oysters,  71-78. 

A  la  Tairtare,  78. 

A  la  Villeroi,  71. 

In  Aspic,  76. 

Various    wavs.  of    serving, 
71-78. 


Papillotes,  65. 
Parsley  Sauce,  29. 
Partridges,  Souffle  of,  146. 
Patties,  116-124. 

Chicken,  121. 

Dresden  Cases  for,  118. 

Oyster,  121. 

Sweetbread,  120, 
I'ears,  a  la  Princesse,  267  ;  Com- 
pote of,  265,  266,  268. 
Petits  Fours,  292. 
Pies,  Game,  183-190, 
Pigeon  Cutlets,  143. 
Pigeons,    a    la    Tartare,    144; 

Compote  of,  145, 
Pineapple  Water-ice,  251. 
Piquante  Sauce,  35. 
Pistache  Cream,  229. 
Pistachio  Water-ice,  255. 
Poivrade  Sauce,  36. 
Potage,  a  la  Hollandaise,  56;  a 

la  Koyale,  59. 
Potatoes,  a  la  Proven^ale,  204 ; 
Milanese,  205;  Scalloped,  205. 
Poulette  Sauce,  20. 
Prawns,  Coquilles  of,  63. 
Princess  Soup,  58. 
ProfiteroUes,  194. 
Puddings,  230-234,  238-246. 

Bombay  Ice  Pudding,  241. 

Chocolate   Cream    Pudding, 
245. 

Cold  Cabinet  Pudding,  233. 

Cold  Souffle  Pudding,  231. 

Diplomatic  Pudding,  232. 

Filbert  and  Wine  Iced  Pud- 
ding, 243. 

Frangipanni  Iced  Pudding, 
238. 

Frozen  Pudding,  235. 

Ice  Pudding,  240, 


314 


INDEX. 


I'uddings —Continued. 

Iced  Cabinet  Piiclding,  239. 

Iced  Custard  with  Fruit, 244. 

Iced  Jelly  Pudding,  241. 

Iced  Puddings,  243. 

Imperial  Kice  Pudding,  231. 

Jubilee  Pudding,  230. 

Rice  a  la  Princesse,  245. 

Sauces  for,  295-299. 
Puffs,  Ciieese,  300. 
Puree  of  Ham,  152. 

Quenelles  for  entrees,  125-129; 
for  soups,  53,  54. 

Ptabbit,  Grenadines  of,  149 ;  Fil- 
lets of,  150. 

Rabbits,  148. 

Raspberries,  how  to  cook,  271 ; 
Jellied,  221. 

Ratafia,  259. 

Ravioli,  Baked,  137. 

Red  Mayonnaise,  46. 

Reed-birds,  Chaudfroids  of,  160; 
in  Aspic,  159. 

Rice  Pudding,  231. 

Rissoles,  108. 

Robert  Sauce,  38. 

Roman  Punch  Jellies,  222. 

Rout  Biscuits,  286. 

Russian  Salad  for  Cutlets,  101. 

Salads,  300-305. 

Best  dinner,  300. 

For  Cutlets,  100. 

Grape-fruit,  303. 

How  to  dress,  301,  302. 

To  eat  with  game,  300. 
Salmis.of  Snipe,  147. 
Salmon,  Coquilles    of,  04 ;    en 
Papillotes,  65. 


Sauces,  11-22;   23-32;    33-41; 
42-50. 
A  la  d'Uxelles,  20. 
A  la  Normande,  38. 
Alleraande,  18. 
Almond,  299. 
Apricot,  297. 
Aspic  Maj'onnaise,  47. 
Bearnaise,  26. 
Bechamel,  17,  159. 
Blonde,  or  White,  13-32. 
Bordelaise,  37. 
Brown,  33-41. 
Caper,  29. 
Cardinal,  30. 
Celery,  29. 
Chateaubriand,  34. 
Chaudfroid,  160,  161. 
Cold  Cucumber,  48. 
Cold  Sauces,  42-50. 
Consistency  of,  24,  105. 
Cucumber,  29. 
Dcs  a:ufs  au  Kirsch,  295. 
Downton,  39. 
Espagnole,  33. 
Green  Mayonnaise,  46. 
Hollandaise,  30. 
Horseradish,  48. 
How  to  stir,  17. 
Light  Normande.  39. 
Lobster,  29. 

INIadere  a  la  Marmalade,  295. 
INIatclote,  40. 
Mayonnaise,  43,  46,  47. 
Mint,  49. 
Mother  Sauces,  6. 
Norwegian,  47. 
Orange,  39. 
Oyster,  29. 
Parsley,  29. 
Piquante,  35. 


INDEX. 


315 


Saucea—Continued. 

Poivrade,  36. 

Poulette,  20. 

Red  Mayonnaise,  4G. 

Robert,  38. 

Rule  for  seasoning,  18. 

Sherry,  29G. 

Shrimp,  29,  30. 

Soubise,  27. 

Ste.  Menehould,  25. 

Supreme,  23. 

Sweet  Butter,  very  fine,  298. 

Sweet,    French,    for    Pud- 
dings, 295-299. 

Tartare,  48. 

"Vanilla  Cream,  298. 

Veloute,  or  White,  14. 

Villeroi,  21. 

Wine,  296. 

Whipped  Sweet,  297. 

White,  23-32. 
Sauteing,  95,  96. 
Scalloped  Potatoes,  205. 
Scallops  of  Chicken,  130. 
Sherry  Granito,  258  ;  Sauce,  296. 
Shrimp  Sauce,  29,  30. 
Sole,  h.  I'Horly,  GG]    k  la  Nor- 

mande,  65  ;  Kouennaise,  67. 
Soubise  Sauce,  27 ;  with  Gren- 
adines of  Rabbit,  149. 
Souffle    of    Chicken,    131;     of 
Lobster,  62;    of   Partridges, 
146;   of  Tomato,  206. 
Soups,  51-60. 

Chestnut,  57. 

Consomme  a  la  Rachel,  52. 

Consomme  a  la  S6vigne,  55. 

Potage  a  la  Hollandaise,  56. 

Potage  a  la  Royalo,  59. 

Princess,  58. 

To  clear  Consomme,  51. 


Spanish  Onion,  204. 
Spices  and  herbs  required,  12. 
Spinach  Fritters,206;  Juice,  192. 
Ste.  Menehould  Sauce,  25. 
Stock,  7  ;  to  reduce  to  Glaze,  8. 
Strawberries,  how  to  cook,  271  ; 

Compote  of,  272. 
Strawberry  Cream,  227. 
Stuffed   Artichokes,   197;    Cu- 
cumbers, 199. 
Sucking  Pig,  Ballotines  of,  179. 
Supreme  Sauce,  23. 
Sweet  Sauce  for  Puddings,  295- 

299. 
Sweetbreads,    a    la     Supreme, 
103;    ail    Montpellier,    153 
braised,  113;  Cutlets  of,  109 
in   Cases,  106;  Patties,  120 
with  Oysters,  104. 
Sweets,  262-280. 

Almond  Trifles,  270. 
Almond  Turban,  285. 
Charlotte  Russc  with  Gela- 
tine, 283. 
Compote  of  Apple  Marma- 
lade, 265. 
Compote  of  Apples  or  Pears 

Grille,  265. 
Compote  of  Cherries,  272. 
Compote  of  Oranges,  269. 
Compote  of  Pears,  266. 
Compote    of    Strawberries, 

272. 
Compote  of  Stuffed  Apples, 

264. 
Compotes  of  Apple,  263,  264. 
Compotes  of  Chestnuts,  269, 

270. 
Fine  Small  Dessert  Cakes, 

285. 
Ginger  Dessert  Cakes,  289. 


316 


INDEX. 


Sweets — Contin  ued. 
Lemon  Baskets,  274. 
Little  China  Dishes,  278. 
Macaroons,  287. 
Orange  Baskets  filled  with 

fruit,  272. 
Orange  Basket  Glace,  274. 
Pears  a  la  Princesse,  267. 
Pink  Compote,  267. 
Raspberry  Charlotte  Russe, 

281. 
Rout  Biscuits,  285. 
Swiss  Vacherin,  276. 
Variegated      Compote      of 

Pears,  268. 

Tartare  Sauce,  48. 
Teal  with  Anchovies,  148. 
Timbale  of  Chicken,  129. 
Timbales  d'Epinard,  151. 
Tomato  Jelly,  205 ;  Souffle,  206. 
Tomatoes  and  Mushrooms,  200. 
Trifles,  Almond,  279. 
Turban,  Almond,  285. 
Turbans  of  Sole,  67. 

Uneatable  decorations,  196. 

Vacherin,  Swiss,  276. 

Vanilla     Cream,    227;    Cream 

Sauce,  298. 
Variegated  Compote  of  Pears, 

268. 
Veal  Cutlets  a  la  Primrose,  139. 
Vegetables,  197-207. 

A  few  ways  of  cooking,  197. 
Beet- root  Fritters,  198. 
Cauliflower  Fritters,  198. 


Vegetables — Contimied. 

Fried  Artichokes,  198. 

ISIilanese  Potatoes,  205, 

IMushroom  Baskets,  201. 

aiushroom  Jelly,  200. 

Mushrooms  and  Tomatoes, 
200. 

Mushrooms  stuffed  a  la  Lu- 
cullus,  200. 

Potatoes  a  la  Proven9ale,204. 

Scalloped  Potatoes,  205. 

Spanish  or  Portuguese  On- 
ion, 202,  203. 

Spinach  Fritters,  206. 

Stuffed  Cucumbers,  199. 

Stuffed  Spanish  Onion,  204. 

Tomato  Jelly.  205, 

Tomato  Souffle,  206. 

Various    wavs    of    serving, 
199-207.  ' 
Veloute,  or  White,  Sauce,  14. 
Villeroi  Sauce,  21. 

Walnut  or  Hickorv-nut  Cream, 

237. 
W£?ter-ices,  253-256. 

Almond,  255. 

Apricot,  256. 

Cinnamon.  255. 

Currant,  256. 

(iinger,  253, 

Pineapple,  254. 

Pistachio,  255. 
Whipped      Cream,    213,    214; 

Sweet  Sauces,  297. 
White  Sauces,  23-32. 
Wine,     Iced      Pudding,     243; 
Sauces,  296. 


THE    END. 


MISS  CORSON'S  FAMILY  LIVING  ON 
$500  A  YEAK. 

Family  Livino'  on  $500  a  Year.  A  Daily  Reference 
Book  for  Young  and  Inexperienced  lloasewives. 
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LIBRARY,   UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA,   DAVIS 


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Nltsch,   H.A.M. 
Choice  cookery, 


TX715 
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LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

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